With Arsenal set to face Sporting Clube de Portugal, or Sporting Lisbon as they are known in the English-speaking world, on Tuesday at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in the Portuguese capital, conceivably it could be useful to know that the people of Lisbon are sometimes known as alfacinhas, or “little lettuces”. The first such reference to the locals of Lisbon as alfacinhas was written in Almeida Garrett’s 1846 travel diary, Viagens na Minha Terra, and one of the possible explanations mentioned in my sources is that some itinerant 19th century vegetable vendors thought the locals were as sedentary as vegetables, but that is not to expect Sporting’s high-flying team to be sedentary in any respect at all, of course.
It could also be appropriate to remember the history of Arsenal’s opposition. Sporting were founded in 1906 by the man for whom their stadium is named, and they are the third most successful club in Portuguese football with 55 major trophies to their name. Sporting won their first Portuguese championship in 1935, six years after they played in the Portuguese top flight for the first time. In Sporting’s golden era between 1947 and 1954 they won seven of the eight league titles contested; and in 1964 Sporting lifted their only European silverware when they defeated MTK Budapest in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Sporting’s late 20th century dry spell ended when they won the league title in 2000, and followed it up with a league/cup double in 2002. Another drought ensued until 2021 when they won the league under recently departed manager Rubem Amorim. Last season they won the league again, for their 20th league title. Their 90 points accumulated in the league was their highest-ever total, with 29 wins from 34 games, including all 17 home matches. In Europe they reached the last 16 of the Europa League, but their undisputed star was Gyokeres, who won the Primeira Liga Player of the Year and Golden Boot awards after bagging 43 goals in all competitions.
Sporting currently occupy second place in the Champions League table with 10 points from four matches played, trailing only Liverpool. In their two home matches the Lisbon club defeated Lille by 2-0 before they applied a 4-1 powdering to Manchester City as Gyokeres scored thrice. On their CL travels the Tagus side drew 1-1 at PSG and defeated Sturm Graz in Austria by 0-2 so they have scored nine goals in all, and conceded only two. Gyokeres scored once each against Lille and Graz so is level on five tallies with Barcelona’s duo of Lewandowski and Raphinha, as well as Bayern’s Kane as the leading goal scorers in this year’s competition.
Sporting sit on top of the Primeira Liga table with 11 consecutive wins in 11 matches played, and Gyokeres is top of the Primeira Liga in goals scored with 16, or double the production of his closest competitor in that competition. The young Sweden striker has been so prolific in front of goal that if Manchester City or some other behemoth club has not bought him by Summer 2025 at the very latest, I will be a monkey’s uncle or a reasonable facsimile thereof.
As of 10 November Rubem Amorim was still listed as Sporting’s manager. Amorim, who led the side to its first league title in 20 years and won a second league title last season, was appointed head coach of Manchester United effective 11 November subject to work visa requirements, and Sporting confirmed a few days later that Amorim was out and Joao Pereira was in as their new manager. In Pereira’s first match in charge, at home last Friday, Sporting secured a 14th straight home win in all competitions against third-tier side Amarante by a 6-0 score in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup. Sporting have now won their last 14 home games in all competitions, stretching back to a 1-1 draw against Atalanta in the Europa League eight months ago.
Amorim culminated his four-year stint at Sporting when his side overturned a two-goal deficit to brush aside hosts Braga in their final outing before the international break on November 10. Sporting came back from a two goal deficit with goals by Morita, Hjulmand, and two by Harder to turn the match completely around. Seeing as Amorim’s time at Sporting ended so successfully, it will be an imposing challenge for Pereira to achieve a “new manager bounce” in his first few matches in charge. Arsenal, on the other hand, have no player who has scored more than once in the Champions League this season, so this contest will have some real challenges in store for the Gunners.
Arsenal XI
Having come back together after the Interlull in time to play coherently and well in the weekend’s home win against Nottingham Forest, the Gunners will be hoping to continue their decent form against a very difficult European opponent playing on their home turf. Given the injuries to Ben White and Declan Rice, the Arsenal team is likely to look something like this:
Raya
Timber Saliba Gabriel Calafiori
Ødegaard Partey Merino
Saka Havertz Martinelli
The last thing I would want to do would be to underestimate the quality of our top class opposition on this occasion, and I would like to make a thorough apology for comparing Sporting to sedentary little lettuces, if indeed I did such a thing. As a matter of fact, I would be quite pleased if Arsenal manage to honor the shirt, play well, and come away with a draw in this match, which is why I am predicting a score of Sporting 1 – Arsenal 1. A draw would objectively be a very good result, but a win would be just the thing to propel the team to the level we would like to see them playing at going into late November. In any case , it is great to see Martin Ødegaard back in the team and coordinating things in the center of midfield, and I expect him to have quite an impact on the way Arsenal handle this one.
Enjoy the match, ‘holics.
Thanks bt8
I’m not a big fan of lettuce (no pun intended) so I guess that means I’m not a fan of Sporting Lisbon and I hope we rip them to shreds (no pun intended).
2-0 will do nicely.
UTA
Top preview, bt8. I agree that a point here would be a very acceptable result but a priority must be to avoid further injuries, limit the minutes for some rehabilitating legs and get some minutes into some underused legs. However, I am confident that MA8 will have a plan which is probably completely different. COYG..
I love the previews in this bar. They are fun, insightful and full of information. This is another excellent piece bt8. I really enjoyed it.
I agree that 1-1 would be a solid result.
However, I’d also love to see us start to click a bit more and put our foot down on the gas (handbrake off!) so a 2-0 or 2-1 win would be great.
Lettuce hope there isn’t an iceberg ahead.
And the previews now come with healthy nutritional content!
Cheers bt8!
I’d like the momentum to keep going so a win and no injuries would make for a very fine evening. I’m happy for the Portuguese to be like lambs (lettuce) to the slaughter.
Super preview Bt8. I can recall two away games against Sporting. I think we drew 0-0 in the year we won the Fairs Cup and two years ago we drew 2-2 so a win woukd break new ground for us .
They are bound to be very tricky opponents and I’d be happy with a draw with winnable games to come . Declan may return but otherwise I think your team is spot-on . GSD has stolen my intended lettuce pun and I’m unable to provide a suitable word salad in place of that fine vegetable . But if we win I may get kale eyed tonight .
Ceasars we’re speculating a result, 1 nil to the Arsenal would be a gem of a result cos the leaf will well and truly have turned with a clean sheet.
There’s something about the way you’re dressing it, Sancho.
Butter little gem, bt8.
This will be another tough CL game — and the new format is delivering on its promise of providing a greater number of competitive matches to qualify for the knockout rounds — but Sporting is the sort of opposition that we need to be beating if we are to go deep into the competition.
The Match Week 12 leaderboard for the GHF Predictathon has been posted. Some big names on the move. You know where to find it…
That’s a strong looking team, bt8 and I’d be very happy to see it or the slightly modified version in which Rice replaces Partey taking the field. I do wonder if MA8 may be tempted to find a place for Jesus tonight, based entirely on the fact that this is a competition in which Gabi is often able to lift his level.
It’s a tough place to go and win, but with CER and 21CG in the crowd and no doubt shouting their throats dry, well, anything can happen and I’d be delighted with a one goal margin in our favour at the end of 90 minutes.
Thanks bt8 for an interWebbs wonder of a preview.
Shame there was no excuse to mention Mo Salad – oh wait …..
Cheers bt8!
Thanks for a great review – it sets the scene nicely. Your prospective team guess very close – just Rice for Merino, assume his toe is up for it.
Should be a good encounter between 2 top teams. Our away performances in Europe h@ve been disappointing for some time, though the loss to Inter in the last match was encouraging- we dominated them, a top European side, on their own manor but didn’t have enough guile to put the ball in the net. We now have our magical maestro / captain back and this could be the difference to getting a famous win. We are due one!
COYRRR
Get in Gabi! Great cross by Timber
Leon Osman reporting for the he bbc: “ It’s an outstanding start from Arsenal, especially down the right-hand side.
It’s some brilliant clever play from Jurrien Timber. Kai Havertz thinks he is about to score, but he is pulled back by Ousmane Diomande. Thankfully for Arsenal, Gabriel Martinelli was right behind him to tap the ball in.
Arsenal deserve this goal. It’s been a brilliant start.”
Wonderful ball from Partey to Saka. He squares it and Kai has a tap in. Great stuff.
From the dot.con
21’
GOAL! HAVERTZ!
Goal! Sporting Lisbon 0, Arsenal 2. Kai Havertz (Arsenal) left footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Bukayo Saka.
I can’t remember how many millions down the drain anymore
That lettuce sure must be tasty at just about this point in time …
If anybody picked Rice and TP5 to start in midfield (Mikel aside of course), please raise your hand to claim your prize
Have I mentioned that I love it when we score from corners?
Big Gabi makes it three!
That’s as easy a first half as we’ve had this season. Get another early in the second half and we can send on KT3 to close the game down all on his own.
But this is Arsenal. It’s never that easy.
Star boy converts the pen! Great spot by thevref
No one wins 4-1 at Sporting I think, let’s see the final result but this is just outstandingly good 😊 a
It has a reasonably nice ring to it:
Citeh travel to Sporting and lose by 4-1.
Arsenal travel to Sporting and win by an identical score.
Could the gods be trying to tell us something?
Bbc website report: “Bukayo Saka (65 mins)
Perfect penalty. Franco Israel dives the right way, but Bukayo Saka’s spot-kick is too good, buried into the bottom corner.
Nerves? What nerves?”
Whoops! 1-5 now after this: L. Trossard (82′)
Trossard again
Trossard again ole ole
I’ll need to get confirmation from our travelling GHFers but I think I can hear
Who put the ball in the sporting net?
Half our fucking team did!
Enjoy the post match beers lads!
A touch of hyperbole @21, but only a touch….
This team is just getting tuned up.
An excellent night and a great performance. Hope the Italian Stallions from Winchmore Hill enjoy their evening !
Another much better ref than we get in the Premier League .
>>>>>>>