Sporting Lisbon suffer major blow as key duo ruled out of Europa League second leg against Arsenal
Published
| Last updated
Sporting Lisbon will be without both club captain Sebastian Coates and Hidemasa Morita for the second leg of their Europa league tie against Arsenal.
William Saliba opened the scoring, heading home Fabio Vieira's cross to put the Gunners in front in Lisbon.
However, the hosts were quick to respond through Goncalo Inacio who glanced a header into the far corner.
Paulinho then doubled Sporting's advantage, pouncing on the rebound to send the Estadio Jose Alvalade into chaos.
But an unfortunate own-goal got Arsenal back on level terms, with the contest firmly in the balance at 2-2 heading into second leg at the Emirates.
Loading…
Sporting duo suspended for Emirates trip
However, in a major blow for Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates will be unavailable for selection after picking up his third yellow card of the tournament.
Meanwhile, dynamic midfielder Morita also picked up a booking, ruling him out of the contest in north London.
It was a night to forget for the Japanese international, who shortly after picking up a yellow card, scored an own goal.
Granit Xhaka saw his scooped cross deflected off the Morita's leg as it dribbled past the helpless Antonio Adan in goal.
Arsenal injury news
On the other hand, Mikel Arteta is likely to have a wealth of options available to him for the home fixture.
Martin Odegaard missed the tie through what is believed to be illness. The Norwegian has been a driving force behind his side's title charge this season, but the midfielder is expected to return for the second leg.
Whilst Gabriel Jesus could also feature in the fixture after several months on the sidelines nursing a knee injury.
Despite not making Thursday's trip to Portuguese capital, Jesus was spotted in first-team training at London Colney, as the Brazilian edges ever close to his long awaited return.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images
Topics: Sporting Lisbon, Arsenal, Europa League, Football, Mikel Arteta
