Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League group stage between Sporting CP (Portugal) and Arsenal (England) will be held on November 26 at the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon. Sporting CP vs. Arsenal: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Matches – 9 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 22%.
Predicted lineups for Sporting CP vs. Arsenal
Sporting CP (3-4-3): Franco Israel – Zeno Debast, Gonçalo Inácio, Jerry St. Juste – Nuno Santos, Morten Hjulmand, Hidemasa Morita, Geny Catamo – Francisco Trincão, Viktor Gyökeres, Pedro Gonçalves.
Arsenal (4-3-3): David Raya – Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Ben White – Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard – Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz.
Sporting CP
In the Champions League, six clubs remain unbeaten halfway through the group stage, including the Portuguese side, who have amassed 10 points with three wins and one draw. Notably, in their last match, the Lisbon team thrashed Manchester City 4-1 at home. Sporting CP's defense has also been impressive, conceding just two goals, with only five teams boasting better defensive records.
Defender Zeno Debast, midfielder Pedro Gonçalves, and forward Nuno Santos are sidelined due to injuries.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of Sporting CP's last 7 Champions League matches.
- The team has opened the scoring in 7 of their last 10 games in this tournament.
- In 6 of Sporting CP's last 7 Champions League matches, one team has led with a clean sheet at halftime.
Arsenal
The English side had a strong start in the first three rounds. They drew 0-0 away to Atalanta, then secured home wins against PSG (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0). However, in their last match, the Gunners not only conceded their first goal of the tournament but also suffered their first defeat, losing 0-1 to Inter Milan. Consequently, Mikel Arteta's team dropped to 12th place, trailing their nearest top-8 rival by two points.
Defenders Kieran Tierney and Ben White will miss the game due to injuries.
- In 6 of Arsenal's last 8 Champions League matches, one team has won with a clean sheet.
- At least one team has failed to score in 7 of Arsenal's last 8 matches in this tournament.
- No more than two goals have been scored in regular time in 8 of Arsenal's last 9 Champions League matches.
Sporting CP vs. Arsenal: Match Prediction
I believe the bookmakers are underestimating the Portuguese side. The strength of this team was evident in their last match, where they dominated Manchester City. It's unlikely that the change in head coach will drastically alter Sporting CP's game for the worse, so I expect Arsenal to face a tough challenge.
The Lisbon side has yet to suffer a defeat in regular time this season. In the Primeira Liga, they are confidently leading, having not dropped a single point after 11 rounds. The team averages 3.5 goals per game in their domestic league while conceding no more than 0.5 goals. Sporting CP also feels confident in the Champions League, with a goal difference of 9:2, currently sitting second in the group stage standings.
Arsenal, on the other hand, has shown convincing play only in their match against PSG. In the other three main round matches of the Champions League, the Gunners scored just one goal, barely earning 4 points. My prediction: Sporting CP with a handicap (0)
