Arsenal faces a warning sign of possible defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
On 7 April 2026 GMT+7, interesting statistics emerge ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 quarterfinal first leg, as Sporting Lisbon, runners-up in Portugal's top league, host Arsenal, leaders of the English Premier League, tonight at 02:00 GMT+7.
Although Arsenal has recently lost chances to win two major trophies—the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City and the FA Cup quarterfinal against Southampton—they have never lost to Sporting Lisbon in 90 minutes across five meetings (winning 2, drawing 3), including winning two of three away matches.
However, Sporting Lisbon have shown strong home form in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, winning all five home games this season, scoring 16 goals and conceding only 3, as detailed below.
18 September 2025 (Group Stage Matchday 1): Sporting Lisbon 4-1 Kairat Almaty
22 October 2025 (Group Stage Matchday 3): Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Olympique Marseille
26 November 2025 (Group Stage Matchday 5): Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Club Brugge
20 January 2026 (Group Stage Matchday 7): Sporting Lisbon 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain
17 March 2026 (Round of 16, Second Leg): Sporting Lisbon 5-0 Bodø/Glimt after extra time, following a 3-0 home win and 3-3 aggregate draw.
This means Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will face a tough challenge visiting Sporting Lisbon, especially as the "Gunners" are still recovering from the disappointment of missing out on two consecutive trophies.
