Arsenal to face Sporting CP in Europa League round of 16

Arsenal have been drawn against Portuguese side Sporting CP in the Europa League round of 16.

The Gunners qualified automatically for the round of 16 after winning Group A in the autumn with an impressive 15-point haul. Their success meant they avoided the knockout playoff round, from which Sporting CP advanced.

Ruben Amorim’s side were drawn in the same Champions League group as Tottenham to begin the campaign, but they finished third despite taking five points off the Lilywhites in their two meetings. They dropped into the Europa League’s knockout playoff round as a result, where they beat Danish side FC Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate following a 4-0 victory in the second leg.

Mikel Arteta’s side will back themselves against anybody left in the competition, and this is far from the toughest draw the Gunners could’ve got. Sporting, who lost Pedro Porro to Spurs in January, have struggled domestically this season. They currently sit fourth in the Portuguese league; 15 points adrift of table-toppers Benfica.

Arsenal have faced Sporting just four times in their history, and they’re yet to taste defeat. They’ve won two and drawn two against the Portuguese outfit, with their last meeting in November 2018 ending in a 0-0 stalemate.

Full Europa League round of 16 draw

Here are the eight ties:

• Union Berlin vs Union Saint-Gilloise
• Sevilla vs Fenerbahce
• Juventus vs SC Freiburg
• Bayer Leverkusen vs Ferencvaros
• Sporting CP vs Arsenal
• Man Utd vs Real Betis
• AS Roma vs Real Sociedad
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs Feyenoord

When will the Europa League round of 16 ties be played?

The first legs are scheduled for 9 March, with the second legs a week later on 16 March.

When is the Europa League final?

The 2022/23 Europa League season will conclude at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna on 31 May 2023.