Arsenal travel to take on Sporting CP in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday, 7 April.
What you need to know
Both teams can make a strong case for being confident ahead of this tie, in which Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres will return to face the club where he scored 97 goals in 102 competitive games between 2023 and 2025 before heading to north London.
The Gunners are unbeaten in European competition against Sporting CP (W2 D3), and their 5-1 win in Lisbon on Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Champions League offers a glimpse of their attacking verve under Mikel Arteta. However, the only two-legged tie between the teams ended wiith the Portuguese outfit advancing on penalties in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League round of 16.
Indeed, the Lions have won nine of their ten previous UEFA competition two-legged ties against English teams, with the only defeat coming in the sole two-legged contest in the European Cup/Champions League, against Manchester City in 2021/22. That followed a pattern for Portuguese clubs at this stage, as they have lost all nine European Cup/Champions League quarter-final meetings with Premier League opposition.
Sporting CP are aiming to become the first Portuguese outfit to win a Champions League quarter-final tie since the 2003/04 Porto side, who went on to lift the trophy. The overall prize will doubtless be on Arsenal’s mind too as they seek that elusive first triumph in this competition.
Possible line-ups
Sporting CP: Rui Silva; Iván Fresneda, Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Maxi Araújo; Debast, Morita; Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves; Luis Suárez
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Ødegaard; Madueke, Gyökeres, Martinelli
Form guide
Sporting CP
Form: WWWLDW (most recent game first)
Latest: Sporting CP 4-2 Santa Clara, 03/04, Portuguese First Division
Arsenal
Form: LLWWDW
Latest: Southampton 2-1 Arsenal, 04/04, English FA Cup
Views from the camps
Rui Borges, Sporting CP coach: “We want to make our dreams reality and continue to make history for this great club. Tomorrow, the energy of our stadium and our fans will be very important in creating a magical night. We can do something extraordinary with that.”
Maximiliano Araújo, Sporting CP defender: “We know it’s going to be very difficult but we’re prepared and we’re in a good moment. I believe it’s going to be a great tie.”
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach: “When you look at what they [Sporting CP] have done, especially at home, the way they have behaved in this Champions League, the teams they have beaten, we know the difficulty of the match. That’s why we want it even more.”
David Raya, Arsenal goalkeeper: “I think every game is an opportunity, and the next game is tomorrow. There will be talk about the two losses [against Man City and Southampton], but we have to see it as an opportunity to show who we are. It is a massive one tomorrow and this team is up for it.”
Reporter’s view
Carlos Machado, match reporter
Sporting are buzzing with confidence in the Champions League, and that should come as no surprise – they’ve matched their best-ever finish in the competition and boast a 100% win record in Lisbon. Arsenal, for their part, will be determined to bounce back from recent domestic setbacks and show the quality that has powered them to an undefeated record.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Source:
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