Arsenal are through to the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Bayer Leverkusen, and next up is Sporting CP, the Portuguese side who produced one of the round’s biggest comebacks to get there.
Arsenal’s reward for beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate is a Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP, with Mikel Arteta’s side now two games away from a place in the last four. Arsenal reached the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at the Emirates on Tuesday night, where goals from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice completed the job after last week’s 1-1 draw in Germany.
Sporting arrive after one of the round’s biggest turnarounds
Sporting’s route to the quarter-finals was far more dramatic. They were beaten 3-0 by Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of the last 16, leaving themselves with a major problem heading into the return in Lisbon. But the Portuguese side responded with a 5-0 win after extra time to go through 5-3 on aggregate, overturning the deficit with goals from Gonçalo Inácio, Pedro Gonçalves, Luis Suárez, Maxi Araújo and Rafael Nel. Reuters described it as a stunning comeback, and it was enough to book a meeting with Arsenal in the last eight.
That result also said something about the kind of opponent Arsenal will face. Sporting showed resilience, attacking quality and the ability to change the mood of a tie quickly, particularly at home. UEFA’s match page notes they have won all five of their home matches in this season’s competition, underlining how strong they have been in Lisbon.
Arsenal know Sporting from recent European meetings
This is not an unfamiliar opponent for Arsenal. The clubs met in the Europa League last 16 in March 2023, drawing 2-2 in Lisbon before a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, where Sporting went through on penalties. Before that, they also faced each other in the Europa League group stage in 2018, when Arsenal won 1-0 away from home and then drew 0-0 in north London. UEFA’s head-to-head page also records Arsenal’s 5-1 win away to Sporting in the Champions League league phase in November 2024, giving Arteta’s side a more recent positive result in this fixture.
So while Sporting are not a club Arsenal see often, there is enough recent history to give the tie some familiarity. Arsenal know the atmosphere in Lisbon can be awkward, and they also know Sporting have already shown in this competition that they can survive difficult positions.
Quarter-final dates to be confirmed
UEFA has scheduled this season’s Champions League quarter-finals for 7/8 April and 14/15 April. With the exact dates to be confirmed by Thursday by UEFA.
For Arsenal, the broad picture is already clear enough. They have come through Leverkusen and now face a Sporting side with recent pedigree against them, strong home form in Europe and real momentum after a remarkable comeback. The quarter-final will not carry the glamour of some other ties, but it looks like a difficult draw all the same.