Arsenal have been warned they’re coming up against a Sporting CP side able to beating ‘anyone in Europe’ ahead of their Champions League quarter-final showdown.
After a 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen last week, the Gunners took care of business back on the Emirates last night to book their place within the last eight of the competition.
Sporting appeared to be staring down the barrel of an early exit after losing 3-0 to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt of their first leg. However the Portuguese giants staged a remarkable comeback on Wednesday, battling back to win 5-0 on the night.
It marks the primary occasion Sporting have reached the quarter-finals of the competition in its modern format, having reached the identical stage of the old European Cup in 1982-83.
This season, Sporting have already beaten defending champions Paris Saint-Germain having memorably thrashed Manchester City in the identical competition last season.
Arsenal are still undefeated in Europe this term and are chasing an unprecedented quadruple with the primary piece of silverware within the Carabao Cup up for grab this weekend.
They’re among the many favourites to win the Champions League this season but former Sporting right-back Virgilio, a part of the side that reached the quarter-finals back within the early 80s, is confident his old side can claim one other scalp.
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While the Gunners shall be strong favourites on paper, he insists outworking the Premier League leaders will hand them the advantage.
‘Sporting has the standard and conditions to beat any of those teams,’ Virgilio said.
‘We’ve already beaten (Manchester) City, Paris Saint-Germain, quite a few clubs, and now it’s one other one. Sporting has the standard and conditions to beat any team.
‘It’s a matter of getting the identical spirit from yesterday [Tuesday] in these games. By way of quality, we’re very similar, so if we work harder than them, we could have a bonus.’
Arsenal put five past Sporting of their last meeting in 2024 however the Portuguese side do have history of causing them problems, eliminating the Gunners from the Europa League on penalties on the last 16 stage 4 seasons ago.
Carlos Xavier, one other member of that 1982-83 Sporting side, said: ‘Anything may be expected.
‘It’s a really difficult tie. Arsenal are going through a terrific moment and it’s not the identical because the team we eliminated recently.
‘Sporting has its weapons and the hope, even due to what it did within the second leg against Bodo/Glimt, of having the ability to play two high-level matches.
‘Sporting has nothing to lose. It’s about attempting to move forward. A really complicated and difficult task, each for Sporting and for Arsenal. It is going to be difficult for each.’
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