ARSENAL have learned that Sporting Lisbon will be their opponent in the next round of the Europa League.
The Gunners topped their group so did not need to follow Manchester United into a play-off, instead getting a pass straight into the Last 16.
And following the draw, Arsenal will be up against Sporting Lisbon, who were knocked down from Tottenham’s group in the Champions League.
Arsenal’s last game against the Portuguese giants came as recently as 2018, ending in a 0-0 draw, but they have undergone a major makeover since then.
In fact, only two members of the squad have survived since Mikel Arteta began his rebuild at the Emirates.
And now, those two stars will have the chance to face Sporting once again.
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The first of the retained stars is Emile Smith Rowe, who started the game at the tender age of 18.
The other star in question is defender Rob Holding, who sat in the heart of the defence.
He partnered Sokratis at centre-back in front of then goalkeeper and captain Petr Cech.
Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner took up the role as right-back, while Carl Jenkinson filled in as an auxiliary left-back.
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In midfield, Aaron Ramsey was paired with Matteo Guendouzi, with the pair now both playing their football in Ligue 1.
Two of the front three have retained spots in the Premier League, albeit with differing success for those teams at present.
Now Brighton ace Danny Welbeck spearheaded the Gunners attack in the match, while Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi was deployed at left-wing.
The attack was completed by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who flattered to deceive at Arsenal following a transfer from Man Utd.
While only two stars from the starting XI have been retained, the bench features two players who are still at the club, though one is out on loan.
The first is Southampton loanee Ainsely Maitland-Niles, who replaced Lichtsteiner in the 73rd minute.
The other is Eddie Nketiah, who is the only starter in Arsenal’s current squad from the 2018 fixture.
But the Hale End graduate was not given any minutes in the game by then coach Unai Emery.
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Instead, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaced Welbeck when he went off injured in the 30th minute, while Sead Kolasinac was subbed on for Jenkinson at the 60 minute mark.
Others stars on the bench included World Cup winners Emiliano Martinez and Shkodran Mustafi, as Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torrerira completed the squad.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
