Sporting CP is expecting to defeat Arsenal and overturn its 1-0 deficit in the Champions League. Sporting CP and Arsenal are going to clash at the Emirates Stadium. However, Arsenal got a boost after the news of Ivan Fresneda’s exit from the Champions League. Rui Borges has confirmed the same.
Sporting Has Lost Its Main Hope: Ivan Fresneda
Ivan Fresneda is considered the right-back player of Sporting CP. Right-back in football refers to the defender on the right side. Back in January 2023, Ivan Fresneda was on Mikel Arteta’s radar. Later, Fresneda joined Sporting CP instead of Real Valladolid.
Ivan Fresneda is suffering from an injury. People in Portugal are concerned about his fitness. They are worried because Fresneda is the key player of the Portuguese Primeira Liga. The 21-year-old defender got injured in the Sporting CP match against Estrela Amadora. In Saturday’s match, he was forced to come off at half-time before Sporting CP’s win by 1-0.
Sporting wanted to give Ivan Fresneda time to recover. So, the team substituted him with another player. This step was taken as a precaution to avoid any injury from getting worse. The aim was to give him more rest. So that he could return fit for the second leg of the match. However, the team’s hope was shattered after Fresneda failed the fitness test. He also did not travel to London.
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Sporting Now Searching for Players Against Arsenal
Sporting CP is now searching for the options that can replace Fresneda in the game. Now, Sporting CP has two choices with it. Georgios Vagiannidis and Eduardo Quaresma are the names who can be in the team’s starting lineup.
Belgian defender Zeno Debast and Joao Simoes are also not ready to perform. Though both of them have travelled to the match location, there are doubts that they can play. They are still recovering from injuries. Joao Simoes has been playing as a midfielder since the first leg of the match.
Sporting CP is in the Making of Player Strategies
According to reports, Sporting CP has started making a list of players for the lineup. As per the list, Rui Silva is likely to be the goalkeeper. Quaresma, Ousmane Diomande, Goncalo Inacio, and Maxi Araujo will be the defenders. These players have performed well in the Lisbon match against Arsenal. As per the reports, Morten Hjulmand will play alongside Hidemasa Morita. Both Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita will play as central midfielders.
Geny Catamo has played well in the first leg of the UCL KO tie. So, he is also in the list of Sporting’s starting lineup. Sporting CP is planning to keep Geny Catamo on the right side of the field. The team will have Pedro Goncalves on the left side of the field. Trincao might be playing at the number 10 position. On Tuesday, Luis Suarez also spoke to the media at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. It is being speculated that Luis will be taking the lead as an attacker.
Arsenal is Too Concerned About Its Players’ Injuries
The Gunners are also facing injuries. Most of its players are injured, which is a matter of concern for Arsenal. Five key players of Arsenal were missing from Tuesday’s training at London Colney.
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Declan Rice still has a fitness issue. Captain Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori are in the process of recovering after the match held in Lisbon. The names in the list also include Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber. Neither Bukayo Saka nor Jurrien Timber has been playing since before the international break.
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