Arsenal return to Champions League action on Thursday night when they host Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side snatched a win in the first leg last week in Lisbon, courtesy of a 91st-minute strike from Kai Havertz. The Gunners weren’t at their best at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, but were ultimately able to position themselves nicely for progression into the semi-finals by claiming a resolute and hard-fought victory.
That said, things turned sour in N5 over the weekend, with Arsenal’s dire defeat to Bournemouth coinciding with Manchester City’s rampant win over Chelsea. The Citizens are now just six points behind the North Londoners in the Premier League, while they also have a game in hand.
The momentum is rapidly slipping away from Arteta’s team at a point in the season where momentum is all that matters. The Spanish manager will hope his side can reverse their fortunes against Sporting by securing a serene passage into the next round of Europe’s elite club competition.
With that said, here’s a look at UEFA’s pick for the match officials for Arsenal vs Sporting.
Who is the referee for Arsenal vs Sporting?
UEFA have confirmed that French referee Francois Letexier will be the man in charge of Arsenal’s game against Sporting.
This will be the second Gunners game Letexier has officiated so far this season, with the Frenchman having overseen Arteta’s outfit’s 2-0 league phase win over Olympiacos back in October.
Letexier also oversaw Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last season, awarding the Gunners a controversial penalty which Bukayo Saka missed.
Francois Letexier’s record against Arsenal
Letexier has been a referee at the top level for several years, although he has officiated just two Arsenal matches throughout his career.
In these games, he’s handed the Gunners five yellow cards, no red cards and one penalty.
| Letexier’s record refereeing Arsenal matches | |||
| Matches | Arsenal wins | Draws | Arsenal defeats |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Francois Letexier’s record against Sporting
As for Sporting, Letexier has officiated three of the Lisbon club’s games, giving them four yellow cards, no red cards and one penalty in the process.
| Letexier’s record refereeing Sporting matches | |||
| Matches | Sporting wins | Draws | Sporting defeats |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Who are the assistant referees and VAR?
Alongside Letexier as the referee will be his assistants, Cyril Mugnier, Mehdi Rahmouni and Stephanie Frappert, with the former two running the line and the latter the fourth official.
In the VAR room, Bastian Dankert will oversee the game, with Bram Van Driessche assisting him.
