Sporting Lisbon will play host to Arsenal on Thursday as Round 16 of the first leg matches of the Europa League commence on GOtv.
The Gunners boast an unbeaten record against their Portuguese opponent and they head into the tie in good spirits. The last time both teams faced each other was in the group stage of the 2017/18 season Europa League. Danny Welbeck’s strike gave Arsenal a 0-1 victory away from home, while the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium ended 0-0.
Mike Arteta’s players are keen to make history this season by securing the club’s first European trophy and reclaiming the Premier League title since the 2004 Invincibles. Tune in SuperSport La Liga (ch. 32) at 6:45pm to watch the game unfold.
Still on Thursday night, Manchester United will take on its third Spanish opponent in this competition, Real Betis. The Red Devils locked horns with Real Sociedad in the group stages and knocked out Barcelona in the play-off to book a place in the Round of 16.
But, Erik Ten Hag’s men head into this tie on the heels of a 7-0 defeat at the Anfield against Liverpool, which happens to be the club’s biggest loss since 1931. Ten Hag urged his team to learn from the defeat and bounce back ahead of their match against Real Betis.
“The bad days are the days that if you do the right things, if you react with the right messages as a manager and as a team, you can learn a lot from it,” Ten Hag said, in his post-match press conference.
“I know my players, they are good characters, they can bounce back and they will do,” he added. All eyes will be on the Red Devils when their match begins at 9pm on SuperSport La Liga (ch. 32).
To enjoy the Europa League games showing on GOtv, take advantage of the Step Up offer by upgrading your package and GOtv will step you up to an even higher package, for free, after 48 hours. Download MyGOtv app to subscribe or upgrade or set up Auto-Renewal to stay connected without interruptions. Customers can also dial *288# to recharge.
