Mikel Arteta is backing Arsenal ahead of their away match against Sporting: 'The team that plays with heart will win'.

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The London club arrived in Lisbon after their first back-to-back defeats of the season, losing 0-2 to Manchester City in the League Cup final and suffering a surprise 1-2 defeat to Championship side Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

'We need to be objective about how difficult things have been for us so far,' Arteta told reporters on Monday. "Feel the pain and use it to improve."

"We understand very clearly what happened and why it happened. This is football."

With Arsenal's participation in European competitions reduced from four to two, Arteta believes that a calm mindset rather than panic is key to helping his players respond on the European stage.

'I think it's important to understand why it happened,' he said. “And when you understand that, you need to improve, and that's what we need to do.”

Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber were all unavailable for the first leg due to injury, although Arteta said he hoped they could return by the weekend.

There is better news in other areas, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard all set to play after being spotted in training.

Arsenal will face Sporting, who are unbeaten at home in European competition this season, and the Portuguese champions are aiming to take the initiative in the first leg of the tie.

Sporting's midfielder Maxi Araujo has dismissed suggestions that Arsenal are the favourites for Tuesday's match.

"None of the teams are being considered as serious contenders in this play-off," he informed the journalists. "They're playing well, and so are we."

Sporting coach Rui Borges believes that Arsenal's two consecutive losses are not very meaningful.

"No, I don't believe that, and excellent teams always want to win," Borges told reporters. "They will be more focused, ready to demonstrate their individual and collective abilities, and so I think it will be more difficult for us."