Manchester City vs Sporting CP: UEFA Champions League background, form guide, previous meetings

An emphatic victory in Lisbon has put Manchester City in sight of a fifth successive UEFA Champions League quarter-final and left Sporting CP facing the prospect of another heavy last-16 loss.

• Early goals from Riyad Mahrez (7) and Lisbon-born Bernardo Silva (17) put the visitors in control at the Estádio José Alvalade on 15 February, and City took a stranglehold on the contest before the break thanks to further strikes from Phil Foden (32) and Silva again (44). Raheem Sterling's 58th-minute effort – City's 200th UEFA Champions League goal – completed a dominant win, the third time in their seven matches in this season's competition Pep Guardiola's side have scored five or more in a game.

• That result equalled both Sporting's heaviest home European defeat and City's biggest away win in UEFA competition.

• While the Lisbon club are featuring in the competition's knockout rounds for the first time since suffering a record defeat by Bayern München in the 2008/09 last 16 – when they also lost 5-0 in the home first leg – City have progressed from the group stage for the ninth season in a row and have become adept at negotiating this hurdle after three defeats in their first four ties.

• City qualified for this contest as Group A winners, recording four victories from their six matches – winning all three at home – while Sporting finished second in Group C despite losing their first two matches.

• This is one of only two ties in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League round of 16, along with Bayern München-Salzburg, to involve two reigning domestic champions.

Previous meetings

• The teams' only games before this tie came in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League round of 16, a tie won by Sporting on away goals.

• Xandão's 51st-minute effort gave the home side a 1-0 win in Lisbon on 8 March 2012; a week later, first-half goals from Matías Fernández (33) and Ricky van Wolfswinkel (40) proved enough to take Sporting through despite strikes in the final half-hour from Sergio Agüero (60, 82) either side of Mario Balotelli's 75th-minute penalty.

• Sporting went on to lose 4-3 on aggregate to Athletic Club in the semi-finals.

Form guide

Manchester City

• City collected 12 points in this season's group stage to finish a point clear of Paris Saint-Germain, winning all three home games – and scoring 12 goals in the process in defeating Leipzig (6-3), Club Brugge (4-1) and Paris (2-1).

• In 2020/21 City ended a run of three successive quarter-final eliminations by going all the way to the UEFA Champions League final only to lose 1-0 to Chelsea at Porto's Estádio do Dragão on 29 May.

• City beat Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-0 a, 2-0 h), Borussia Dortmund (2-1 h, 2-1 a) and Paris (2-1 a, 2-0 h) en route to the final. They had finished first in Group C with 16 points, keeping five clean sheets and conceding only one goal – equalling the UEFA Champions League group stage record.

• City have already conceded ten goals in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League, five more than in their 13 games in last season's competition, although the first leg of this tie was their first clean sheet of the European campaign.

• Champions of England for the seventh time in 2020/21, their third title in four seasons, City also claimed the English League Cup for the fourth season in a row and the eighth overall, equalling Liverpool's competition record.

• This is the Cityzens' 11th UEFA Champions League campaign; they have been involved in the group stage every season since 2011/12 and have now reached the round of 16 in nine successive campaigns.

• Pep Guardiola's team are unbeaten in 17 home European matches (W16 D1) since a 2-1 loss against Lyon on Matchday 1 in 2018/19, winning their last ten including last season's round of 16 first leg against Mönchengladbach in Budapest.

• City have featured in the round of 16 every season from 2013/14 onwards. Their record at this stage is W5 L3, all five wins after playing the first leg away, all three losses after playing the home leg first. Last season's win against Mönchengladbach was their fourth successive last-16 victory.

• Gabriel Jesus, who missed the first leg through injury, has scored on all five of his appearances at this stage of the UEFA Champions League.

• City have won two of their three two-legged ties against Portuguese opponents.

• The 2012 loss at Sporting is City's sole reverse in their nine fixtures against Portuguese clubs (W6 D2). They took four points off Porto in last season's group stage, winning 3-1 at home on Matchday 1 before a 0-0 away draw on Matchday 5.

• The Manchester club have won all four of their home games against Portuguese visitors, scoring 11 goals and conceding only three.

• City's 2019/20 UEFA Champions League campaign ended at Sporting's Estádio José Alvalade, Lyon winning 3-1 in their one-off quarter-final.

• City have never failed to win a European tie after an away first-leg victory. There have been 13 such contests, including in the round of 16 in each of the last three seasons – against Schalke in 2018/19 (3-2 a, 7-0 h), Real Madrid in 2019/20 (2-1 a, 2-1 h) and Mönchengladbach in 2020/21 – and, most recently, last season's semi-final against Paris. This is only the second time they have won 5-0 in the away first game, the other a 2016/17 UEFA Champions League play-off against Steaua București (1-0 h).

• City's record in two UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L0:
4-2 v Midtjylland, 2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round
4-3 v Aalborg, 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16

Sporting CP
• The Lisbon side kicked off Group C with a 5-1 home defeat against Ajax and their prospects looked bleak when they went down 1-0 at Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 2. Two thumping victories against Beşiktaş (4-1 a, 4-0 h) revived their challenge, however, and a 3-1 home win against Dortmund on Matchday 5 sent them through behind Ajax, who prevailed 4-2 against the Portuguese club in the final round of matches.

• This was Sporting's ninth UEFA Champions League group campaign, and a first since 2017/18. That ended with a third-placed finish in their section behind Barcelona and Juventus; they went on to reach the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

• The Lisbon club's last three European campaigns have all been in the UEFA Europa League. In 2020/21, they beat Aberdeen 1-0 at home in the one-off third qualifying round before a 4-1 play-off defeat against LASK, also in Lisbon.

• Sporting have lost nine of their last 11 away matches in the UEFA Champions League proper; the 4-1 win at Beşiktaş on Matchday 3 is one of only two in their last 13 away games in the competition, group stage to final (D1 L10), the other a 3-2 victory at Olympiacos on Matchday 1 in 2017/18.

• The Lions have progressed from the group stage for only the second time.

• Sporting's sole previous round of 16 tie, 13 years ago, ended in a 12-1 loss to Bayern (0-5 h, 1-7 a) – the heaviest aggregate defeat in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase.

• Sporting have won all eight of their two-legged knockout ties against English clubs, most recently against City.

• The Lisbon club have won only two of their 12 games away to English sides (D3 L7), the most recent success a 3-2 victory at Middlesbrough in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 16 first leg. Their record in England since then is D2 L5, the last visit a 0-0 draw at Arsenal in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League group stage.

• The Lions have won only nine of their 24 games against English clubs (D4 L11), seven of those victories coming at home.

• Sporting have now lost all five of their games against Premier League opponents in the UEFA Champions League having gone down twice against both Manchester United in the 2007/08 group stage (0-1 h, 1-2 a) and Chelsea at the same juncture in 2014/15 (0-1 h, 1-3 a).

• Sporting claimed their 19th Portuguese Liga title in 2020/21, and a first since 2001/02. The Lisbon side also won the Portuguese League Cup, their third victory in the competition – all in the last four seasons.

• Sporting have lost the first leg of a UEFA competition tie at home on 12 previous occasions and only once have they gone on to win it on aggregate – against Brøndby in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League play-offs (0-2 h, 3-0 a). That 2008/09 UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern is the sole previous occasion in which they were beaten 5-0 in the home first leg.

• Sporting's record in two UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W0 L2:
3-5 v Dinamo Minsk, 1984/85 UEFA Cup second round
3-4 v Napoli, 1989/90 UEFA Cup first round

Links and trivia

• Manchester City's Portuguese international trio Rúben Dias, João Cancelo and Bernardo Silva all came through the ranks at Sporting's Lisbon rivals Benfica while Ederson arrived in Europe aged 16 to play for the Eagles' youth teams before making his Liga debut with Rio Ave in August 2012.

• Ederson made his Liga debut for Benfica at the Estádio José Alvalade against Sporting on 5 March 2016 as a replacement for Júlio César, who was injured during the warm-up. Benfica were 1-0 winners, a result that helped them win the title and established Ederson as the first-choice goalkeeper until he left for City in 2017.

• Ederson was sent off as an unused substitute as Benfica lost 2-1 after extra time at Sporting in the Portuguese Cup fourth round on 21 November 2015; Ricardo Esgaio was a late substitute for the Lions.

• Ricardo Esgaio scored past Ederson as Sporting's U19 side beat their Benfica counterparts 3-0 on 27 March 2011.

• Dias scored in Benfica's 4-2 victory away to Sporting at the Estádio José Alvalade on 3 February 2019; Sebastián Coates played for the Green and Whites.

• Dias was sent off in the Benfica B team's 2-1 defeat at Sporting B in the Portuguese second division on 17 April 2016. Cancelo was dismissed for a second bookable offence in Benfica B's 3-1 home defeat by Sporting on 4 November 2012, a match in which he had scored his side's only goal.

• Have played in England:
João Virgínia (Arsenal youth 2015–18, Everton 2018–, Reading 2019/20 loan)
Sebastián Coates (Liverpool 2011–14, Sunderland 2014–16)
Rúben Vinagre (Wolverhampton Wanderers 2017–20)
Pedro Gonçalves (Wolverhampton Wanderers 2017–19)
Islam Slimani (Leicester 2016–18, 2020, Newcastle loan 2018)
Marcus Edwards (Tottenham 2007–19, Norwich loan 2018)

• Have played in Portugal:
Ederson (Benfica 2009–17, Ribeirão 2011/12 loan, Rio Ave 2012–15)
João Cancelo (Barreirense youth 2002–07, Benfica 2007–14)
Rúben Dias (Estrela da Amadora youth 2006–08, Benfica 2008–20)
Bernardo Silva (Benfica 2002–15)

• International team-mates:
João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva & João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Gonçalves (Portugal)
João Cancelo, Bernardo Silva & Ricardo Esgaio (Portugal U21)
João Cancelo & Ricardo Esgaio (Portugal U19)
Aymeric Laporte, Rodri & Pablo Sarabia (Spain)

• Kevin De Bruyne started for Belgium in a 1-0 win against holders Portugal in the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16 on 27 June 2021; João Palhinha played for Portugal and Pedro Gonçalves was an unused substitute.

• İlkay Gündoğan played 73 minutes of Germany's 4-2 win against Portugal in the UEFA EURO 2020 group stage on 19 June 2021; João Palhinha and Pedro Gonçalves were unused Portugal substitutes.

• Nuno Santos missed the final kick as Brazil beat Portugal 3-1 on penalties in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup quarter-finals after a goalless draw; Gabriel Jesus converted the victors' last spot kick.

Latest news

Manchester City
• UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Kayky
Out: Ferran Torres (Barcelona)

• Fernandinho has made 99 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final; he would be the 44th player to reach a century of games in the competition.

• City's 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W12 D1) was ended by a 3-2 home defeat against Tottenham in the Premier League on 19 February.

• A 1-1 draw at Southampton in the Premier League on 22 January is the only other one of City's last 18 matches they have failed to win. They were 4-1 victors at home to neighbours Manchester United on Sunday.

• Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez both scored twice against United. De Bruyne's first was his 50th in the Premier League, while Mahrez's first was his 20th in all competitions this season and his 100th goal involvement for City (59 goals, 41 assists). The Algerian has scored eight goals in his last eight City appearances.

• City scored four or more goals in a Premier League match for the 50th time under Pep Guardiola, nine more times than any other side since the Spaniard took charge.

• Guardiola's side have scored 51 goals in their last 17 games, conceding 11.

• The defeat against Spurs is one of only two City reverses in their last 25 games in all competitions (W22 D1), the other at Leipzig on Matchday 6.

• City won their next two games without conceding, Phil Foden's late goal earning a 1-0 Premier League win in the first of them at Everton on 26 February.

• City have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals with 4-1 wins at Swindon and at home to Fulham before a 2-0 success at Championship side Peterborough on 1 March. They will visit Southampton in the last eight on 19/20 March.

• City won 36 league games in 2021, an English top-flight record; the previous best of 33 was set by Liverpool in 1982. Nineteen of those victories came away from home, another top-flight best.

• Raheem Sterling's first-leg goal at Sporting was his 127th for City, taking him up to tenth in the club's all-time list.

• Rúben Dias is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks with a hamstring injury, while Nathan Aké picked up a knock in the win against Peterborough.

• Zach Steffen has been out since 9 February with a shoulder injury.

• Cole Palmer has not played since scoring in City's win at Swindon on 7 January due to an ankle injury.

• Jack Grealish returned to score City's second goal at Peterborough, his first appearance since 9 February due to a shin injury.

• Gabriel Jesus came on as a late substitute in a 1-0 win at Everton on 26 February, his first appearance since 1 February after picking up a knock on international duty, before starting at Peterborough.

• City signed Julián Álvarez from River Plate in January, although the 22-year-old forward has been loaned back to the Argentinian club for the rest of the season.

Sporting
• UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Islam Slimani (Lyon), Marcus Edwards (Vitória SC)
Out: Jovane Cabral (Lazio, loan), Geny Catamo

• Following their first-leg defeat by City, Sporting returned to domestic action with a 3-0 home win against Estoril on 20 February thanks to goals from Pedro Gonçalves, Matheus Reis and Pablo Sarabia.

• Gonçalves' goal ended a run of five games without scoring. The 23-year-old is Sporting's top scorer this season with 14, including seven in the Portuguese Liga.

• Paulinho made his 50th appearance for Sporting against Estoril.

• Six days later, Sporting drew 1-1 at Marítimo, January signing Islam Slimani scoring the first goal of his second spell at the club to equal former Porto forward Rabah Madjer's record as the top Algerian goalscorer in the Portuguese Liga with 49 goals.

• Slimani surpassed Madjer's mark at the weekend with both goals in Sporting's 2-0 home win against Arouca. It was the first time he had scored more than once in a league game since a double for Monaco in a 2-2 draw at Strasbourg on 1 September 2019.

• Aged 16 years 356 days, Dário Essugo became Sporting's youngest Liga starter against Arouca. He beat the record of Luís Figo, who was 17 years 190 days when he made his full league debut on 13 May 1990.

• On 2 March, the Lions let slip a lead to lose 2-1 at home to Porto in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals. The second leg is scheduled for 20 April.

• Sarabia scored Sporting's goal against Porto and has six in his last nine matches in all competitions.

• Sporting have won only two of their last six matches in all competitions (D2 L2).

• The Lisbon club lost only three of their 28 matches in 2021/22 until 31 December, all in the UEFA Champions League, but have suffered four defeats in their 14 matches since the turn of the year.

• On 29 January, holders Sporting came from behind to beat Lisbon rivals Benfica 2-1 in the final and retain the Portuguese League Cup thanks to goals from Gonçalo Inácio and Sarabia. It was the club's fourth victory in the competition, all in the last five years, and a third title as coach for Rúben Amorim – his second with Sporting to add to the one he won with Braga – who has won all nine of his matches in the competition.

• Sporting have scored in all but two of their 42 games in all competitions this season, the exceptions the 1-0 defeat at Dortmund on Matchday 2 and the first leg against City.

• The first leg against City ended Sporting's run of scoring in 37 successive home matches in all competitions. The previous time they had drawn a blank at the Estadio José Alvalade was a 0-0 Liga draw with Vitória FC on 21 July 2020.

• Defender Matheus Reis has two goals and two assists in his last seven matches in all competitions.

• Gonçalves has missed Sporting's last three matches with a thigh injury. Zouahir Feddal (knee) sat out the Marítimo game but was an unused substitute against Porto and Arouca.

• Sporting full-back Gonçalo Esteves became, aged 17 years 283 days, the youngest Portuguese player to start a UEFA Champions League match at Ajax on Matchday 6; the record was quickly supplanted by Dário Essugo, who came on as a late substitute aged 16 years 268 days.

• On Saturday Sporting chairman Frederico Varandas was re-elected with 85.8% of the votes, giving him a new mandate until 2026.