Sporting CP have two new injury concerns ahead of their trip to North London to face Arsenal in the Champions League.
The Gunners will be looking to defend their 1-0 lead at the Emirates Stadium when the Portuguese club arrive in North London on Wednesday.
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Kai Havertz’s goal in the first leg at the José Alvalade Stadium is currently the difference between the two sides; however, Sporting will be looking to take advantage of Arsenal’s bad mood.
Although their hopes of doing so have potentially just been dealt a key blow, having lost two key players to injury for the second leg in N5.
Ivan Fresneda and Joao Simoes are doubts to face Arsenal
Ivan Fresneda and Joao Simoes are now both doubtful to face Arsenal in the Champions League, according to A Bola.
The Lions are already without Luis Guilherme and Ioannidis, with two new players now joining their list of absences ahead of the match.
Fresneda was forced to come off at half-time during the weekend’s 1-0 win over Estrela Amadora after complaining about a ‘physical issue’.
Arsenal have tried to sign Fresneda in the past, and the defender has now become a key player under Rui Borges in Lisbon.
Missing the Spaniard would be a huge blow for the Portuguese side, although Borges claims his withdrawal was just a precaution: “He left due to physical complaints. Due to the accumulation of minutes and games, we opted to take him off at half-time.”
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The 21-year-old is due to be assessed on Monday, with the expectation that the muscle injury is nothing serious, but for now, he remains doubtful.
Meanwhile, Simoes did not even make the squad over the weekend, having also been suffering from a muscle issue.
The worry for Arsenal is that, unlike in the first leg, captain Morten Hjulmand is back from suspension, and he could be the difference maker.
Borges’ team missed his presence in the middle of the park in the first game, and he is likely to be very important in North London.
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