On Tuesday night, Arsenal ended their two-match losing streak with a narrow first-leg victory in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
They did it without Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) or Jurrien Timber (£6.3m), although there was the welcome return of some other familiar faces.
Here, we assess their quarter-final Lisbon win from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
MATCH FACTS
- RESULT: Sporting CP 0-1 Arsenal
- GOAL: Havertz
- ASSIST: Martinelli
- LINEUP: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard (Havertz 70), Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke (Dowman 76), Gyokeres, Trossard (Martinelli 76)
SAKA + TIMBER MISS OUT 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 precautionary measure. The Arsenal winger, like Declan Rice (£7.3m) and several others, missed Saturday’s FA Cup defeat at Southampton, but with an expectation that he’d be back to face Sporting CP.
However, Saka missed training on Monday with his undisclosed issue and was not even on the bench here. It’s similar for Timber, who hasn’t played since succumbing to an ankle injury in Gameweek 30’s win over Everton.
“They’re having trouble, they’re not ready yet. Let’s see, hopefully they’re going to be ready for the weekend, if everything goes well, and that’s a massive boost because in recent days we’ve lost so many important players and that’s something that we need to change immediately.” – Mikel Arteta on the Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber injuries
Despite Mikel Arteta’s optimism, both Saka and Timber are surely doubts for Gameweek 32 at home to Bournemouth.
MORE TOILING FROM THE ATTACK
Arsenal have served up a series of timid attacking displays over the last few months, relying instead on their defensive fortitude to see themselves through.
So it was again in Portugal, despite the win.
Further deprived of creativity with Saka and Eberechi Eze (£7.2m) out, they struggled to carve out any meaningful opportunities against a well-drilled Sporting, who arguably looked more threatening in transition. The hosts had more shots (11 v 8) and edged the xG (0.84-0.78).
Much of Arsenal’s expected goals count came in injury time, when Gabriel Martinelli‘s (£7.8m) bright cameo peaked with an excellent assist for Kai Havertz’s (£7.3m) last-gasp winner.
Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m) was anonymous again, not that he was helped by a lack of service.
ANOTHER ODEGAARD INJURY?
Worsening the Gunners’ injury problems is the familiar sight of Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) sitting disgruntled on the turf. The midfielder required medical attention before he came off in the 70th minute.
Arteta has yet to comment on the issue, but the thoughts of former Norway defender Jesper Mathisen sum up the fears of already angst-addled Arsenal fans.
“Those are scary images. Like watching a horror movie. A nightmare. He’s not sitting down for no reason. It would have been a big loss for both Arsenal and Norway if he had to go out with an injury again.” – Jesper Mathisen, former Norway defender, speaking to TV2, about Martin Odegaard’s injury
Arsenal’s re-emerging injury crisis may strengthen the prospects of Max Dowman (£4.2m), their young Gameweek 30 match-winner. He gave another good performance during this 14-minute cameo, though he remains well down in the midfield pecking order when everyone’s fit.
RICE + GABRIEL MAKE SWIFT RECOVERIES
Meanwhile, the return of Rice gave Arsenal a welcome boost and some much-needed midfield ballast. In a typically assured performance, he made few discernible attacking contributions, with the priority being to protect his defence, alongside Martin Zubimendi (£5.1m), rather than marauding forward.
Even on set-pieces, it was Noni Madueke’s (£6.8m) corners that looked more dangerous on the night. One directly struck the crossbar early on. Whereas Rice deferred free-kick duties to Odegaard, who was able to force a save from Rui Silva.
The defensive barricade that is Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.2m) – recovered from Saturday’s injury scare – and William Saliba (£6.1m) was also restored. Both players encouragingly got through the full 90 minutes.
RAYA EXCELLENT
Overall, the undoubted star of the show was David Raya (£6.0m).
The best of his five saves came early on, when Ousmane Diomande put Maxi Araujo clean through with a glorious outside-of-the-boot swish. The left-back raced clear to unleash a blistering strike, which Raya somehow tipped onto the bar.
With six minutes left, Raya’s cat-like reflexes kept out a Geny Catamo header at his near post. Right before the sole goal, he made a double save from Catamo and Luis Suarez, with the latter’s rebound looking certain to go in.
“He’s extraordinary, magnificent, incredible. I don’t know the adjective, the right one. And with that, it’s enough. We are so 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 lunacy of Arteta’s decision to select Kepa Arizabalaga (£4.0m) in their recent cup defeats.
It’s also a nudge to Gameweek 32 Wildcarders that, regardless of Double Gameweeks, sometimes a solid set-and-forget keeper is the best way forward.
What you would say is that the Gunners have suddenly become noticeably more vulnerable on their right flank, with Ben White (£5.1m) struggling in the last three cup games. For the sake of FPL managers who are invested in the Arsenal backline, Timber needs to recover soon.
