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

Having snatched a first-leg advantage at the last in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final at Sporting CP, Arsenal will look to clinch a place in the last four for the second season in a row when the teams reconvene in north London.

Kai Havertz got the only goal in Lisbon on 7 April, the substitute's 91st-minute strike giving the Gunners their tenth win in 11 games in this season's competition.

Last match

Arsenal are now unbeaten in their six fixtures against Sporting (W3 D3), winning 5-1 in Portugal on Matchday 5 last season. Gabriel Martinelli, 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.

Arsenal have lost only one of their last 12 matches against Portuguese teams (W6 D5) and are unbeaten in eight at home (W6 D2).

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

Sporting have won only two of their last 14 matches against Premier League opposition (D5 L7), though they were unbeaten in six (W2 D4) before losing the last two, both to Arsenal.

Sporting CP are winless in their last ten away matches against English opposition (D5 L5), drawing the last four, since a 3-2 first-leg victory at Middlesbrough in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 16.

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 

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.

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).

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.

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. They have never reached successive semi-finals.

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

Arsenal have lost only two of their last 21 Champions League matches (W17 D2) and are unbeaten in this season's competition (W10 D1), keeping seven clean sheets.

The Londoners have lost only one of their last 23 home European games (W17 D5), winning all five this season.

Arsenal have won 17 of 18 European ties after an away first-leg victory, including four of the five in which they held a one‑goal advantage. The exception came against Olympiacos in the 2019/20 Europa League round of 32 (1-0 a, 1-2 h, lost on away goals).

Havertz has scored in six of his last eight Champions League appearances, including two against Sporting.

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 six of their last 12 games in the competition, losing four.

The Lions have won only one of their last eight away European matches (D2 L5).

The Portuguese club have won only one of the 14 European ties in which they lost the home first leg, against Brøndby in the 2010/11 Europa League qualifying play‑offs (0-2 h, 3-0 a). They have lost all seven ties in which they were beaten by a one‑goal margin at home in the first leg.