- Mikel Arteta’s side have struggled for goals in the Champions League this season
- They face a Sporting Lisbon team who have not lost in all competitions so far
- Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Mikel Arteta has demanded Arsenal be more ‘ruthless’ in Europe as they seek to improve their away performances.
The Gunners, who face Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, bounced back from a three-match winless streak to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday in the Premier League.
But their away form in the Champions League is a concern. The north London club lost 1-0 at Inter Milan earlier this month having drawn 0-0 in Italy with Atalanta in September.
Arsenal’s last European away win came over a year ago on October 24, 2023 against Sevilla. Facing a Sporting team who are unbeaten in their domestic league and Europe this season, the Gunners have a tough test ahead.
Arsenal boss Arteta said: ‘It’s certainly something we have to improve (away form). I think we have made the right steps. But the reality is that you have to make it happen and we didn’t. Making those steps is what we have to do next. Be ruthless, be efficient in the opposition box and do what we have to do to take the three points away from here.’
Arteta knows his team’s finishing needs to improve — and fast. ‘The efficiency that we have shown inside the box with the chances that we are normally able to generate in the Champions League is not at the level required to win consistently,’ the Spaniard said. ‘I always say the Champions League is about boxes, small margins and details. You have to get all of those right to win, especially away from home.’
One player Arteta will be wary of is Viktor Gyokeres who has struck 59 goals in 55 games for club and country in this calendar year, including a hat-trick against Manchester City earlier this month. It has left the striker in line for a move to a big Premier League club but all the questions on Gyokeres were batted away by Arteta, who refused to be drawn on if he would want to sign the Swede.
In the absence of injured defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney has returned to Arsenal’s squad for the first since playing in the 2023 Community Shield win over Manchester City. The full back has been in full training since last week, following his return to fitness after a hamstring injury.
