2025-26 UCL Quarter-Finals: First Leg – Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal

Sporting Lisbon host Arsenal in the first leg of their Quarter-Final tie in 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.

Sporting overcame Bodo/Glimt to win their Round of 16 tie, whilst Arsenal saw off Bayer Leverkusen to secure their spot in this round.

 

Team News

Luis Suarez is set to return up front for Sporting after he was suspended for their 4-2 Primera Liga victory at home to Santa Clara.

Luis Guilherme (ankle) and Ivan Fresneda (illness) are doubts but Fotis Ioannidis (knee), Geovany Quenda (metatarsal) and Nuno Santos (thigh) remain absent.

Arsenal could be without defender, Gabriel after he suffered a left knee injury during their shock 2-1 Quarter-Final defeat at Southampton in the FA Cup.

Jurrien Timber (ankle), Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka (all fitness) could return after the quartet missed the defeat at Southampton.

Piero Hincapie (muscle), Eberechi Eze (calf) and Mikel Merino (foot) remain absent.

 

When is Kick-Off?

Sporting host Arsenal at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday 8 April at 8pm CEST, live on Amazon Prime in the UK.

 

Stat Attack

• Sporting lost their only previous Champions League meeting against Arsenal by a 5-1 result at home in November 2024.
• Arsenal have avoided defeat in each of their four previous visits to Sporting Lisbon in all UEFA competitions (W2, D2).
• Sporting are yet to lose at home in the Champions League this season (W5), in which they kept two clean sheets across those five matches at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
• Arsenal are yet to lose away in this season’s Champions League (W4, D1).

 

Prediction

Unbeaten at home in this season’s Champions League, Sporting Lisbon are not a team to underestimate because they do have multiple goalscoring threats but their defence is their vulnerability with just two clean sheets across the campaign.

Arsenal though have to be far more clinical than they were at Southampton because they often rushed their finishing touches or lacked the power to beat Daniel Peretz, whilst their midfield were just outplayed and sucked in by the Saints’ counter-attacks without Rice’s presence.

If Rice does indeed return for this match as part of a stronger Arsenal line-up then I fancy them to win this but if he isn’t then that midfield could again be their Achilles heel, but they really should be capable of getting something in this leg then finish the job at home.

Prediction: Sporting Lisbon 1-1 Arsenal

Result: Sporting Lisbon 0-1 Arsenal