Arsenal will face Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-finals on April 7 and April 15, with the first leg in Lisbon and the return at the Emirates Stadium after Mikel Arteta’s side booked their place in the last eight this week
Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final dates have now been confirmed, with Arteta’s side set to face Sporting CP over two legs in April. UEFA has scheduled the first leg for Tuesday, April 7, when Arsenal travel to Lisbon, before the return match in north London on Wednesday, April 15. Both games will kick off at 21:00 CET, which is 8pm in the UK.
That gives Arsenal a clear European roadmap after their 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night sealed a 3-1 aggregate success and sent them into the last eight. It also means the first leg against Sporting will come a little over two weeks after Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, with the second leg following in the middle of another packed domestic run.
Arsenal’s quarter-final schedule
The tie will begin away from home, with Arsenal travelling to Portugal for the opening leg on April 7. The return at the Emirates Stadium takes place eight days later on April 15, giving Arsenal home advantage in the decider. This comes just four days before before Arsenal travel to Manchester City in the league, in what is likely to be the Gunners' biggest fixutre in the Premier League this season.
Sporting are a side which have the fight in them showing that after they reached the quarter-finals, becoming only the fifth club in the Champions League to overcome a three goal deficit in the first-leg to proceed to the next phase, as they beat Bodø/Glimt 5-3 on aggregate.
For Arsenal, the dates also bring some welcome clarity after the quarter-final lineup was finalised on Wednesday night. UEFA confirmed the full schedule once the round of 16 was completed, with Arsenal and Sporting placed on the same side of the draw as Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. That means the winners of this tie will face either Barcelona or Atletico in the semi-finals.
What it means for Arsenal
The timing is significant because Arsenal are still competing on multiple fronts deep into March. Their progress past Leverkusen has kept the European campaign alive, but it has also added two heavyweight April fixtures to an already demanding calendar. The first leg in Lisbon comes after the March international break and just under a month before the semi-finals are due to begin. UEFA has already set those semi-final windows for April 28 or 29 and May 5 or 6, with the final to be played in Budapest on May 30.
Arsenal’s European campaign is entering the more defining phase. Sporting represent a different challenge from Leverkusen, and Arsenal will know there is little margin for error once the quarter-finals begin. Although Arsenal have home advantage in the second leg, with a face off against Manchester City looming as the following fixture, Arsenal could do without being taken then length in the home leg.
The immediate focus remains on Wembley and Manchester City this weekend. After that, Arsenal’s route back into Europe’s biggest competition will narrow quickly. The dates are now set, the opponent is confirmed, and the next major step in Arsenal’s Champions League season will begin in Lisbon on April 7 before the tie returns to the Emirates eight days later.