Arsenal and Chelsea look to progress in Europe
TIAGO Fernandes is aiming for victory at Arsenal tonight as the interim coach of Sporting Lisbon looks to make his mark on the Europa League.
Jose Peseiro left Lisbon last week having only been appointed in the summer, with Tiago stepping up from the youth set-up to take the reins on a temporary basis.
Sporting endured a difficult summer as a host of players departed following an attack on the club’s training ground by disillusioned supporters. Peseiro replaced Sinisa Mihajlovic, who lasted just nine days in the job, with Tiago the third man to take charge of the side this season.
He guided Sporting to a 2-1 victory over Santa Clara in the Primeira Liga at the weekend but today has the task of trying to get a result from Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. He told yesterday’s press conference: “As manager of Sporting, every game you play with this team is to win.”
Sporting, under Peseiro, lost the reverse fixture a fortnight ago as Danny Welbeck’s goal settled a forgettable contest in Arsenal’s favour.
However, Tiago can call upon striker Bas Dost and experienced defender Jeremy Mathieu - who were both injured last time out.
The Gunners have won all three of their Europa League matches and will guarantee top spot with two games to spare with a win tonight.
Victory for Sporting in north London would go a long way to sending them into the last 32 but defeat would present a chance for Group E rivals Vorskla Poltava to apply pressure with two games remaining.
Meanwhile, Mateo Kovacic warned against complacency as Chelsea look to confirm their place in the Europa League knockout stages in Belarus. Chelsea will be confirmed in first place with two rounds of matches to go if they win at BATE Borisov today and the other Group L game, between Vidi and PAOK in Budapest, is drawn.
Maurizio Sarri has left Alvaro Morata, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso at home, but Eden Hazard has travelled despite only just recovering from a back problem. N’Golo Kante was a late call-up, after Cesc Fabregas was left at home after reporting a fever yesterday morning.
Sarri defended rotating his options, insisting rest was necessary for those left at home, while Kovacic acknowledged Liverpool’s plight at Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday provided a cautionary tale. Liverpool won 4-0 at Anfield, but lost 2-0 in Serbia.
The on-loan Real Madrid midfielder said: “These are games where you need to concentrate a lot or you will lose the game.”
Chelsea have won all three Europa League games so far and are unbeaten in competitive games this season, with the only defeat of Sarri’s reign coming in the Community Shield loss to Manchester City.
Kovacic reckons Chelsea will continue to improve after an impressive start under former Napoli boss Sarri.
The Croatia midfielder said: “We need to improve a lot. It needs time to understand completely and work on his football, but we’re doing a great job.”