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Sporting CP drawn in Europa League last 16

Arsenal and the Europa League

We have drawn Sporting CP in the last-16 of the Europa League after the draw was made in Switzerland this morning.

After finishing top of a group containing PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich earlier in the campaign, we skipped the play-off round to set up this tie with the Portuguese side.

The Lisbon side made their way through the play-off round by knocking out Midtjylland. After a goalless draw at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, they responded by winning 4-0 in Denmark to advance. They had previously played in the Champions League this season, and finished third in a group containing Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille to move into the Europa League.

The first leg will be played at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday, March 9, with the return game at Emirates Stadium to be played on Thursday, March 16. Kick-off times will be announced in due course.

It is the third time we have been paired with Sporting in European competition - the first came back in the 1969/70 season when we drew 0-0 away from home before a John Radford goal and a George Graham brace saw us progress during our successful Fair Cup run.

Then in 2018, we played two Europa League group games - drawing 0-0 at Emirates Stadium after Danny Welbeck's strike saw us come out on top away from home.

We could also come up against a familiar face in Hector Bellerin, who made a deadline day move to Lisbon from Barcelona after departing north London last summer.

Full draw

Union Berlin v Union Saint Gilloise

Sevilla v Fenerbahce

Juventus v Freiburg

Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros

Sporting SP v Arsenal

Manchester United v Real Betis

Roma v Real Sociedad

Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord