Arsenal at Sporting CP Champions League 2024 online streaming: kick-off time, TV schedule, how to watch online

Arsenal travel to Sporting CP in Champions League the league phase for the 5th matchday. The Gunners are in 10th place with several other clubs on 7 points. Sporting is in second place with 10 points. The hosts are one of the surprises of the CL season and will be a much tougher opponent for Arsenal than we thought back during the draw.

The Portuguese side have a perfect 11-0 record in Liga Portugal, scoring 39 goals and conceding just 5. They swept Manchester City to the side 4–1 in early November, although the quality of that victory has rapidly declined. Former manager Ruben Amorim traveled to Manchester United a few weeks ago, but Sporting continued to roll on without him, making it three wins in a row under new manager João Pereira.

Sporting is led by Viktor Gyökeres, who has blossomed into one of the best strikers in Europe. He has 16 goals in 11 league games and 5 out of 4 in CL. His hot start to the season backs up his impressive campaign last year – 29 goals in 33 apps in the league, 5 in 9 in the Europa League. The 26-year-old Swede is likely to move to one of the glamor clubs in Europe next season – he has been linked everywhere, including Arsenal. Francisco Trincao and Pedro Goncalves round out the attacking trio for Sporting with Daniel Braganca pulling the strings from midfield.

Despite a defensive record that isn’t as impressive as last season, the Gunners have proven capable of shutting down an opposition attack (and we know they can do it, see all of last season for example). It starts with Martin Ødegaard. He organizes and directs the press, disrupting and stopping opposing attacks before they start. Arsenal should be able to deny Sporting time and space on the ball.

The Gunners have a significant size advantage over the Portuguese side and should be able to use their physicality to dictate the game. Not many clubs in Europe can match the Gunners for big, strong guys who are also good on the ball – Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and even Mikel Merino in midfield, Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and yes, Jurrien Timber (which is not the tallest, but is thick). There is always the possibility that talented, technical players can move the ball quicker and play around Arsenal’s size.

But when Arsenal are at their best, my money is always on them because the part I left out is that Arsenal are also fast. I’m not talking about blistering, attacking pace because Arsenal don’t have much of that outside of Gabriel Martinelli and to a lesser extent Bukayo Saka. It is Arsenal’s defensive pace that gives the clubs fit. You simply do not have the time and space on the ball that you are used to and think you have. The Arsenal midfielders are on you in a flash and they are likely to win the duel.

I keep coming back to it (although I’m not sure I’ve said it on TSF recently) – think back to April 2023 when Manchester City absolutely thrashed Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad to more or less win the Premier League title. It seemed like they had more players on the field than Arsenal. They were everywhere, especially in midfield. It’s Arsenal now. When Arsenal are at or close to full strength, they overrun opponents.

The good news is that it looks like the Gunners are on their way to being that side again. The first three months of the season were tough for Arsenal – brutal schedule, injuries, bad dismissals, questionable refereeing decisions, etc. It masked their quality. Side note: even through all that, they were still a really good team on underlying numbers. But it didn’t quite add up. The comprehensive 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest was a glimpse of the real Arsenal (or what we hope is the real Arsenal).

Sporting will prove a much tougher test. Arsenal probably need this game more than the hosts have given the CL table, but you don’t want to drop points at home. A result for the Gunners, preferably a win, would go a long way towards claiming one of the coveted top 8 spots. Arsenal’s remaining CL games are “easier” on paper, so a result would also more or less win a place in the knockout stages. For Sporting, a win over Arsenal would make them unlikely to finish outside the top 8.

It’s still difficult to read much into the Champions League stage table and get a strong sense of the relative safety/danger a particular club faces given their position, points total and games remaining. It’s annoying. I guess all there is to do is win the games in front of you.

In a pleasant twist, Arsenal have no new additions to the injury list. Takehiro Tomiyasu is away from the club somewhere, rehabbing from his never-ending string of injuries. Ben White’s surgery will keep him out until January-ish. Kieran Tierney was in Arsenal’s traveling squad, although I don’t expect him to feature.

Sporting will be without wide forward Nuno Santos, who is recovering from a torn kneecap. Both defender Zeno Debast and striker Pedro Goncalves are doubtful with muscle injuries.

Lineups will be posted when available.

WHO: Arsenal at Sporting CP
WHAT: Champions League phase match day 5
WHEN: Tuesday 26 November at 3pm EST/12pm PST/8pm GMT
WHERE: Jose Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon
HOW TO SEE: Streaming on the Paramount+ app

For all your international streaming needs, check out LiveSoccerTV.com. Please do not discuss or share links to illegal streams here.