Arsenal vs Sporting: is UEFA Europa League last 16 on UK TV? Channel, live stream details and KO time

Arsenal are in the final hours of preparation ahead of the home leg of their Europa League tie against Sporting. The first leg in Portugal saw an unpredictable 2-2 draw take place and the Emirates Stadium will now host the decisive fixture. The two sides will come into the match off the back of 3-0 wins against Fulham and Boavista respectively and both Mikel Arteta and Ruben Amorim will hope that their squads can sharpen up their set-pieces following a sloppy first leg.

Arguably, the Europa League campaign is less of a priority for Arteta’s men as the Gunners would need some sort of catastrophic collapse to not make the Champions League next season but a double is still on the cards as they sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners will be hoping to end a three-game drought without a win in a Europa League knockout game and Sunday’s dominance at Craven Cottage, which saw Arsenal score at least two goals for the fourth game running, will put them in good stead against Sporting.

Here is all you need to know ahead of Arsenal’s Europa league fixture against Sporting...

When is Arsenal vs Sporting?

The two sides will face each other later this evening, Thursday 16 March 2023, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm GMT. Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium will host the fixture and Arsenal’s website is indicating that tickets in the 60,000 seater stadium are still available to buy and exchange for those with an Arsenal membership.

How to watch Arsenal vs Sporting

BT Sport will have all the coverage from the UEFA Europa League matches. Fans can subscribe to a monthly pass for £29.99/month and highlights will then be available after the final whistle on the BT Sport YouTube channel and on the BBC Sport’s website.

There is also a highlights show on BT Sport which begins at 10.30pm on Europa League nights, covering all the biggest talking points from the fixtures.

Head-to-Head

Arsenal have faced the Portuguese side on five occasions with the Gunners coming out on top twice and the two sides drawing three times. Their last two fixtures ended in a draw with Arsenal last winning in the 2018 Europa League competition group stages.

Across all formats, the two sides have both won five out of their six last fixtures, drawing the other.

Team news

In keeping with the love of mind games, Arteta ruled out both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus for Sunday’s win over Fulham, but both attackers were ultimately given the green light to play with Jesus featuring off the bench in his first appearance since the World Cup. However, just as one long-term injury comes back, the Gunners now fear that Eddie Nketiah’s ankle problem could keep him out of action until after the international break, while Mohamed Elneny remains out of contention for the long-term following his knee surgery.

As for their visitors, Amorim will be without Morita and Sebastian Coates who both picked up their third bookings of the European campaign and will be forced to sit this fixture out through suspension. Manuel Ugarte will be back after his ban but the Sporting boss will also be without the ex-Arsenal man Hector Bellerin due to a knee injury. Daniel Braganca is also out of contention but their first-choice goalkeeper Antonio Adan is expected to shake off a muscle problem that had kept him out of the win over Boavista.