Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken about his admiration for their Europa League opponents this week.
The Gunners take on Sporting CP in Europe as they look to continue their fine domestic form on the European front.
During a press conference, Arteta was asked for his views on Sporting, whether he got advice from Portuguese star Fabio Vieira, and how he would rotate his team for midweek games.
On Sporting, he stated: Their strength is the idea of the manager which is very clear. He has been very successful over the past years. We watched many of their matches vs Tottenham and vs the big teams in Portugal. They are a very competitive team with a clear game plan. We need to be at our best to win this match."
He added on rotations: Because we have one team and we have to play the games with the best possible players to win it. There have been moments where we have made eight changes. We try to accommodate. Players have moments throughout the season, players are available and not available throughout the season. For sure we will try to put the best team to win the game."
He finished on talking with Vieira: For sure. It was the first thing we did because it is great to have the knowledge and understanding of someone from the country that knows the manager, knows the team-mates. It is always very useful and he spoke really highly."