Important statistics
Arsenal are unbeaten in 5 encounters with Sporting (2 wins, 3 draws), most recently the 5-1 victory in Portugal in the UEFA Champions League last season. Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard scored for the away team, Goncalo Inacio scored the only consolation goal for Sporting.
Sporting won the only knockout match between the two teams, with a score of 5-3 in the penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw in the two legs of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 in the 2022-2023 season.
The two teams also used to be in the same group in the 2018-2019 Europa League season, Arsenal won 1-0 in Portugal before drawing goalless in England.
English clubs have won all ten of their last Champions League first and second legs against Portuguese opponents, since Benfica's 3-0 aggregate victory over defending champion Liverpool in the round of 16 of the 2005-2006 season.
This is the tenth European C1/Champions League quarter-final with the participation of English and Portuguese clubs. English teams have won all nine previous matches.
Arsenal have only lost one of their last 11 matches against Portuguese teams (5 wins, 5 draws). The Gunners have won three of their five knockout matches against clubs from Portugal.
With Sporting CP, this is the 12th time Lions have reached the Champions League group stage, and the fourth time in the last 5 seasons.
Viktor Gyokeres was a Sporting player from July 2023 until signing for Arsenal in July 2025. He scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Portuguese team, including six goals in eight Champions League matches.
The only time Sporting ever reached the quarter-finals of the European Champions League before was the final 1-2 defeat to Real Sociedad in the 1982-1983 season (won 1-0 at home, lost 0-2 away).
The Lisbon club has never won a European quarter-final since defeating Metalist Kharkiv with a total score of 3-2 in the 2011/12 Europa League season; since then they have lost to Atletico de Madrid (2017-2018) and Juventus (2022-2023) in the same league.
Portuguese clubs have lost in the last nine Champions League quarter-finals, since Porto defeated Lyon with a total score of 4-2 in the 2003-2004 season.
Sporting has won all 5 home matches in the Champions League this season, scoring 16 goals and conceding only 3 goals.
Striker Luis Suarez has scored in the last three Champions League home matches for Sporting, four goals in total. He is the striker who replaced Gyokeres, who came to Arsenal.
Arsenal have reached the European Champions League quarter-finals for the tenth time and for the third time in a row. They have been unbeaten in the first leg in the last 8 Champions League quarter-finals (3 wins, 5 draws).
Mikel Arteta's team has won 4 of the last 6 knockout matches in the Champions League.
Arsenal have only lost two of their last 20 matches in the Champions League (16 wins, 2 draws) and are unbeaten this season (9 wins, 1 draw), keeping 6 clean sheets.
Expected lineup:
Sporting CP: Rui Silva, Ivan Fresneda, Diomande, Goncalo Inacio, Maxi Araujo, Debast, Morita, Catamo, Francisco Trincao, Pedro Goncalves, Luis Suarez.
Absent: Hjulmand, Nuno Santos, Ioannidis, Luis Guilherme.
Suspended if received more cards: Luis Suarez.
Arsenal: Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Eze, Hincapie, Merino, Saka, Timber.
Suspended if receiving additional cards: Norgaard, Zubimendi.
