Champions League quarter-final first leg: Sporting CP vs Arsenal facts

Sporting CP's first UEFA Champions League quarter-final is a contest against Arsenal, who have won nine of their ten games in this season's competition.

The Portuguese club reached the European Cup quarter-finals for only the second time with a memorable round of 16 comeback against Bodø/Glimt, overturning a 3-0 first-leg loss in Norway with a 5-0 extra-time victory in Lisbon. Sporting had finished seventh in the league phase to progress to the round of 16 for the third time.

Arsenal won all eight games in the league phase – the first team to achieve the feat under the new format – before beating Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 (1-1 a, 2-0 h).

Last match

Arsenal are unbeaten in their five fixtures against Sporting (W2 D3), most recently winning 5-1 in Portugal on Matchday 5 last season. Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard scored for the visitors, Gonçalo Inácio getting Sporting's sole reply.

Sporting triumphed in the teams' only knockout contest, prevailing 5-3 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (2-2 h, 1-1 a). Inácio scored for Sporting in the first leg – when William Saliba got Arsenal's first goal and Sporting's Hidemasa Morita scored an own goal – and Pedro Gonçalves was on target in the second.

The teams were also paired in the 2018/19 Europa League group stage, Arsenal winning 1-0 in Portugal before a goalless draw in England.

English clubs have won the last ten two-legged Champions League ties against Portuguese opposition, since Benfica's 3-0 aggregate victory against holders Liverpool in the 2005/06 round of 16.

This is the tenth European Cup quarter final involving English and Portuguese clubs; English sides have won all the previous nine.

Sporting have won only two of their last 13 matches against Premier League opposition (D5 L6), though last season's defeat by Arsenal, their most recent encounter, ended a six-match unbeaten run (W2 D4).

The Lions have won nine of their ten European ties against English opposition, the only defeat in the sole European Cup contest – a 0-5 aggregate loss to Manchester City in the 2021/22 round of 16 (0-5 h, 0-0 a).

Arsenal have lost only one of their last 11 matches against Portuguese teams (W5 D5).

The Gunners have won three of their five knockout ties against clubs from Portugal.

Sporting CP

The Lions are making their 12th appearance in the Champions League proper, and a fourth in five seasons.

Sporting were 23rd in last season's league phase (W3 D2 L3), bowing out against Borussia Dortmund in the knockout phase play-offs (0-3 h, 0-0 a).

Arsenal 

Having not featured in the Champions League proper between 2016/17 and 2023/24, Arsenal are making their third successive appearance.

The Gunners reached the semi-finals last season – their best run in the competition since 2008/09 – before a 1-3 aggregate defeat by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Key stats

Viktor Gyökeres was a Sporting player between July 2023 and signing for Arsenal in July 2025. He scored 97 goals in his 102 appearances for the Lions, including six in eight Champions League games.

Sporting's sole previous European Cup quarter-final was a 1-2 aggregate loss to Real Sociedad in 1982/83 (1-0 h, 0-2 a).

The Lisbon club have not won a European quarter-final since beating Metalist Kharkiv 3-2 on aggregate in the 2011/12 Europa League; they have since lost to Atlético de Madrid (2017/18) and Juventus (2022/23) in the same competition.

Portuguese clubs have lost their last nine Champions League quarter-finals, since Porto beat Lyon 4-2 on aggregate in 2003/04.

Sporting have won all five of their home Champions League matches this season, scoring 16 goals and conceding only three.

The Lions have won six of their last 11 games in the competition, losing only three.

Luis Suárez has scored in Sporting's last three home Champions League matches, four goals overall.

Arsenal are in their tenth European Cup quarter-final and a third in succession.

Last season's 5-1 aggregate win against Real Madrid (3-0 h, 2-1 a) was only Arsenal's third at this stage of the competition.

The Gunners are unbeaten in the first leg of their last eight European Cup quarter final ties (W3 D5).

Mikel Arteta's side have won four of their last six Champions League knockout ties.

Arsenal have lost only two of their last 20 Champions League matches (W16 D2) and are unbeaten in this season's competition (W9 D1), keeping six clean sheets.