When Arsenal face Sporting in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, there will be much more riding on the game than just a knockout match in Lisbon. For many, this is where the Gunners need to show back-to-back defeats, against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and the damaging loss to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final, will not leak into their European and Premier League campaigns. Arsenal have been tagged as the 'nearly men' under Mikel Arteta with three successive second-placed finishes in the Premier League in the last three seasons. Their style of play has been questioned at times but now it is the team's mentality that is coming under the spotlight. "Have some perspective about how difficult it is what we have done until now," said Arteta, when asked how he and the team prevent a longer run of defeats.

Source: BBC April 06, 2026 20:47 UTC