Unai Emery’s Arsenal head into Thursday’s clash with Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates bidding for a place in the Europa League knockout stage, buoyed by an impressive display in their draw against Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool.
The Gunners are top of Group E having won all three of their matches so far, and have looked revitalised in the early stages of the post-Arsene Wenger era.
A second straight victory over Portuguese giants Sporting would extend their unbeaten run to 15 matches in all competitions.
Back-to-back defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea at the start of the campaign had left some onlookers questioning whether Arsenal could compete with stronger opposition, but close-season signing Bernd Leno said Saturday’s performance had proved a point.