Mikel Arteta calls on Arsenal to use recent cup defeats as motivation ahead of their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting.

Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to channel the frustration of recent cup setbacks into motivation ahead of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting.

The North London side travel to Lisbon on the back of consecutive defeats, having lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final before suffering a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton.

Arteta insisted his players must keep perspective, acknowledging the difficulty of maintaining consistency across multiple competitions while encouraging the squad to use the disappointment as fuel for improvement.

With Arsenal now competing on two fronts instead of four, the Spanish coach stressed that calm analysis rather than panic would be crucial as the team prepares for the European challenge.

The visitors will be without Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber, who all missed the trip to Portugal due to injury concerns, although Arteta remains hopeful of their return for the weekend. There was more encouraging news, however, as Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice, and Leandro Trossard were all spotted in training and are available for selection.

Sporting head into the contest unbeaten at home in Europe this season, with midfielder Maxi Araujo dismissing talk of favourites and insisting both sides are performing well.

Head coach Rui Borges also warned that Arsenal’s recent defeats could make them more dangerous, while the return leg is scheduled for April 15 at Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal also balancing their Premier League title challenge in between the two fixtures.