Arteta urges his Arsenal players to be ‘ruthless’ against Sporting Lisbon

Mikel Arteta has demanded Arsenal be more 'ruthless' in Europe as they look to improve their away performances.

The Gunners, who play Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, recovered from a three-match winless streak to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

But their away form in the Champions League is a cause for concern. The north London club lost 1-0 at Inter Milan earlier this month, after drawing 0-0 against Atalanta in Italy in September.

Arsenal's last European away win came over a year ago on October 24, 2023 against Sevilla. Facing a Sporting team that is undefeated in the domestic league and in Europe this season, the Gunners face a tough test.

Arsenal boss Arteta said: 'It's definitely something we need to improve (away form). I think we have taken the right steps. But the reality is you have to let it happen and we didn't do that. Making those steps is what we need to do now. “Be ruthless, be efficient in the opposition box and do what we have to do to take the three points.”

Arteta knows his team's finishing must improve – and quickly. “The efficiency we have shown inside the box with the chances we can normally generate in the Champions League is not at the level needed to win consistently,” the Spaniard said. 'I always say that the Champions League is about boxes, small margins and details. You have to give all these people the right to win, especially away from home.”

One player Arteta will be wary of is Viktor Gyokeres, who has scored 59 goals in 55 appearances for club and country this calendar year, including a hat-trick against Manchester City earlier this month. It has the striker lined up for a move to a big Premier League club, but any questions about Gyokeres were dismissed by Arteta, who refused to be committed if he wanted to sign the Swede.

In the absence of injured defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney has returned to the Arsenal squad for the first time since his participation in the 2023 Community Shield victory over Manchester City. The full-back has been training since last week, after being fit again after a hamstring injury.