The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals start on Tuesday as Arsenal will travel to Portugal to take on Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal are -135 favorites on the moneyline, while a draw is available at +285. Fancy a Sporting Lisbon upset? They are +370 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In terms of odds to advance to the semi-finals, the Gunners are a huge favorite at -650, while Sporting Lisbon are listed at +400.
Sporting Lisbon vs. Arsenal Prediction, Pick
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Arsenal. First they lost the Carabao Cup final to Man City. Then, they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals against Championship side Southampton. Now they will look to avoid being eliminated in three straight competitions as they travel to face Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of this Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite a few disappointing results for the Gunners recently, I’m backing them to respond on Tuesday. This is still the same team that finished top of the League Phase table, winning all eight of their matches. They drew the first leg of the Round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen, but got a comfortable 2-0 win in the second leg to advance. In total, they’ve won nine of their 10 UCL games this season, drawing one. Not bad.
Sporting Lisbon also had a successful League Phase campaign, finishing seventh in the table and guaranteeing themselves a spot in the Round of 16. They found themselves in a huge hole against Bodo/Glimt, trailing 3-0 after the first leg in Norway. The Portuguese side bounced back in a big way in the second leg at home, winning 3-0 in regulation to force extra time before ending up 5-0 winners and advancing to the quarter-finals. In total, they’ve won six of their 10 UCL games, drawing one and losing three.
These teams actually played each other in the League Phase of last season’s competition, with Arsenal winning 5-1 in Portugal. While I don’t see a result as lopsided as that on Tuesday, the Gunners should bounce back with yet another Champions League win.
