On Tuesday evening, Arsenal ended their two-game losing streak with a narrow first-leg win in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
They do without Bukayo Saka (£9.8 million) or Jurrien Wood (£6.3m), despite the return of some other familiar faces.
Here, we assess their Lisbon quarter-final win from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
MATCH FACTS
- RESULTS: CP Sports 0-1 Arsenal
- TARGET: Havertz
- HELP: Martinelli
- Lineup: Raya; White, Saliva, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard (Havertz 70), Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke (Dowman 76), Gyokeres, Trossard (Martinelli 76)
SAKA + WOOD MISS AGAIN
When Saka dropped out of the England squad during the international break for a “medical assessment” at his club, people assumed this was a precaution. Arsenal winger, like Declan Rice (£7.3m) and several others, missed Saturday’s FA Cup defeat at Southampton, but with the hope that he will return to face Sporting CP.
However, Saka missed training on Monday due to an undisclosed problem and did not even make the bench here. Something similar happened to Timber, who has not played since sustaining an ankle injury in the Gameweek 30 win over Everton.
“They had problems, they weren’t ready. Let’s see, hopefully they will be ready for the weekend, if everything goes well, and that’s a big boost because in the last few days we lost so many important players and that’s something we need to change immediately.” – Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber’s injuries
Despite Mikel Arteta’s optimism, both Saka and Timber are definite doubts for Gameweek 32 at home to Bournemouth.
MORE WORK THAN ATTACK
Arsenal have put in a series of timid attacking displays over the last few months, and have relied more on their defensive prowess to get through.
The same thing happened again in Portugal, even though they won.
Subsequently lost creativity with Saka and God bless (£7.2m), they struggled to create any meaningful chances against a well-played Sporting, who arguably looked more threatening in transition. The hosts had more shots (11 v 8) and outperformed xG (0.84-0.78).
Most of Arsenal’s estimated goals occurred in stoppage time Gabriel MartinelliA brilliant cameo (£7.8m) culminated in a superb assist Kai Havertzfinal winner (£7.3 million).
Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m) returned anonymously, not for lack of services to help him.
OTHER ODEGAARD INJURIES?
The Gunners’ worsening injury problems are a common sight Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) sat disgruntled on the pitch. The midfielder required medical attention before he was withdrawn in the 70th minute.
Arteta is yet to comment on the matter, but former Norway defender Jesper Mathisen’s thoughts sum up the fears of Arsenal fans already riddled with anxiety.
“It’s a scary image. It’s like watching a horror film. A nightmare. He doesn’t sit out for no reason. It would be a big loss for Arsenal and Norway if he had to come off injured again.” – Jesper Mathisen, former Norway defender, spoke to TV2, about Martin Odegaard’s injury
Arsenal’s resurfacing injury crisis could strengthen his prospects Max Dowman (£4.2m), the winner of their Gameweek 30 youth competition. He put in another fine performance during this 14-minute cameo, although he remains in the midfield pecking order when everyone is fit.
RICE + GABRIEL MAKES QUICK RECOVERY
Meanwhile, Rice’s return gives Arsenal a much-needed boost and ballast in midfield. In his typically assured performance, he made little attacking contribution, with his priority being protecting his defence Martin Zubimendi (£5.1m), rather than pressing ahead.
Even at set pieces, it happens You’re Madukit was the corner (£6.8m) that looked the more dangerous on the night. One of them hit the crossbar straight from the start. Meanwhile, Rice handed over the free kick task to Odegaard who was able to force Rui Silva to make a save.
That defensive barricade Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.2m) – recovered from an injury scare on Saturday – and William Lintasa (£6.1 million) was also recovered. Both players energetically made it through the full 90 minutes.
VERY GOOD RAYA
Overall, the undoubted star of the show David Raya (£6.0 million).
The best of his five saves came early on, when Ousmane Diomande managed to wipe out Maxi Araujo with a superb strike. The left-back raced clear to fire a powerful shot, which Raya somehow tipped onto the crossbar.
With six minutes remaining, Raya’s cat-like reflexes kept Geny Catamo’s header at his near post. Just before his lone goal, he made a double save against Catamo and Luis Suarez, and Luis Suarez’s rebound looked like it would go through.
“He’s amazing, amazing, amazing. I don’t know the right adjective. And with that, that’s enough. We’re very happy to have him.” – Mikel Arteta on David Raya
Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard was awarded UEFA’s Man of the Match award, reminding Arsenal fans of the madness of Arteta’s choice Kepa Arizalaba (£4.0m) in their last cup defeat.
It’s also a reminder for Wildcarder Gameweek 32 that, despite Double Gameweeks, sometimes a solid set-and-forget guard is the best way to go.
What you can say is that the Gunners have suddenly become more vulnerable on their right flank Ben White (£5.1m) struggled in the last three cup games. For the sake of the FPL managers who invested in Arsenal’s back line, Timber must recover quickly.
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