Sporting v Arsenal: Line-ups confirmed as Saka misses out
Gunners looking to progress in the Champions League
Arsenal’s pursuit of Champions League glory comes under the microscope again in Portugal as Mikel Arteta’s side look to bounce back from FA Cup heartache.
The Gunners were beaten at Southampton at the weekend and are now down to just two possible trophies this season.
They have never won the Champions League – losing the final to Barcelona in 2006 – and are looking to reach the semis for a second straight year.
The winners of the tie will advance to a two-legged semi-final against Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, who meet in the first leg of their quarter-final at Camp Nou on Wednesday (20:00 BST).
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres is up against his old club, having scored 97 goals in 102 games for the Portuguese side. Here’s how they line up.
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Sporting team news
Luis Suarez returns from suspension for Sporting but winger Geovany Quenda, who will join Chelsea next season for £40 million, is recovering from a metatarsal injury.
Head coach Rui Borges has right-back Ivan Fresneda back from illness after missing Friday’s 4-2 home win over Santa Clara.
Sporting XI: Rui Silva, Maxi Araújo, Gonçalo Inácio, Ousmane Diomande, Iván Fresneda, João Simões, Hidemasa Morita, Pote, Trincão, Geny Catamo, Luis Suárez
Arsenal team news
Bukayo Saka misses out for Arsenal, joining full-back Piero Hincapie (hamstring), midfielder Mikel Merino (foot) and forward Eberechi Eze (calf) on the sidelines.
Gabriel was a doubt but starts. Midfielders Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi must avoid bookings to be eligible for the second leg.
Arsenal XI: David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Ben White, Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, Martin Ødegaard, Leandro Trossard, Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke
Where to watch Sporting v Arsenal: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Amazon Prime Video.
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Sporting v Arsenal stats
- Sporting have won their last 17 home matches in all competitions
- They won the only previous two-legged tie between the teams ended, advancing on penalties in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League round of 16
- The Lions have won nine of their ten two-legged European ties against English teams but lost their only such tie in this competition against Manchester City in 2021/22
- Two of their last 13 European matches against English opposition have ended victoriously (D5 L6), though they were unbeaten in six straight (W2 D4) before a 5-1 home defeat to Arsenal on Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Champions League in their most recent such encounter
- The last Portuguese side to win a Champions League quarter-final tie was Porto in 2003/04, going on to lift the trophy
- Arsenal are unbeaten in European competition against Sporting (W2 D3)
- Their 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid last season took Arsenal to three wins from their nine quarter-final ties in the competition
- No team has scored more goals from outside the box in this season’s competition than Arsenal (6, alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool)
- Atletico Madrid (7) are the only team still in the Champions League to have scored more headers than them (5, alongside Liverpool)
- Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting between 2023 and 2025