Sporting CP vs Manchester City facts

The champions of Portugal and England meet on UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 as Sporting CP take on Manchester City.

Both teams have seven points in the 2024/25 league phase. Sporting were 2-0 winners at home to LOSC Lille and, after a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven, triumphed 2-0 at Sturm Graz last time out; City were held 0-0 at home by Inter in their first fixture, a repeat of the 2023 final, before big wins at debutants Slovan Bratislava (4-0) and at home to Sparta Praha (5-0).

Previous meetings

Matches 4
Sporting wins 1
Manchester City wins 2
Draws 1
Sporting goals 3
Manchester City goals 8

2011/12 Europa League round of 16
Sporting 1-0 Manchester City
Manchester City 3-2 Sporting
Xandão gave the home side a 1-0 win in Lisbon and a week later, first-half goals from Matías Fernández and Ricky van Wolfswinkel proved enough to take Sporting through on away goals despite replies in the final half-hour from Sergio Agüero (2) and Mario Balotelli's penalty.

2021/22 Champions League round of 16
Sporting 0-5 Manchester City
Manchester City 0-0 Sporting
Early goals from Riyad Mahrez and Lisbon-born Bernardo Silva put the visitors in control at the Estádio José Alvalade, and City took a stranglehold on the contest before the break thanks to further strikes from Phil Foden and Silva again. Raheem Sterling completed a dominant win that equalled both Sporting's heaviest home defeat and City's biggest away win in UEFA competition.

Form guide

Sporting CP

Record vs English clubs: W10 D8 L11 F39 A36
Home record vs English clubs: W8 D2 L4

Sporting's last games against an English club came in the 2022/23 Europa League round of 16, when they beat Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw (2-2 h, 1-1 a aet).

That made it three successive draws, and four in the last five matches (W1), against Premier League opponents. The 2022 loss to City is Sporting's only reverse in their last seven games with English clubs – a run that includes five draws.

The Lions have won eight of their 14 home games English visitors, although a 2-0 defeat of Tottenham on Matchday 2 of the 2022/23 Champions League is the only victory in the last five (D1 L3).

Sporting are making their 11th appearance in the Champions League proper, and a third in four seasons.

The most recent of those came in 2022/23, when the Lions finished third in their section on seven points behind Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Sporting went on to reach the Europa League quarter-finals two seasons ago and also spent 2023/24 in that competition. Second in their section behind eventual champions Atalanta, Rúben Amorim's side beat Young Boys 4-2 on aggregate in the knockout round play-offs only to once again lose out to Atalanta in the round of 16 (2-3 aggregate).

The Portuguese club have managed only four victories in their last 13 home European games (D4 L5). In the Champions League, they have won six of their last 13 matches in Lisbon, losing the other seven.

Sporting claimed their 20th league title last season and a second in four years, having not lifted the crown between 2001/02 and 2020/21.

Manchester City

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W6 D3 L1 F18 A5
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W2 D2 L1

The 2022 games against Sporting are City's last against a Portuguese club. The first-leg win was only City's second in Portugal, the other a 2-1 success at Porto in the 2011/12 Europa League round of 32 first leg – a tie City won 6-1 on aggregate.

The 2012 loss at Sporting is City's sole reverse in their ten fixtures against Portuguese clubs.

City's 2019/20 Champions League campaign ended at Sporting's Estádio José Alvalade, Lyon winning 3-1 in their one-off quarter-final.

This is City's 14th successive season in the Champions League proper; they have featured in every campaign since 2011/12 and have reached the knockout stages in each of the last 11.

Having claimed the club's first Champions League title in 2022/23, Pep Guardiola's side won all six group games for the first time last season, the seventh successive season in which City had come first in their group.

City then brushed past Copenhagen in the round of 16 (3-1 a, 3-1 h) but lost an epic quarter-final against eventual champions Real Madrid (3-3 a, 1-1 h, 3-4 pens) – the third season in a row in which they had faced the Spanish side.

The Cityzens have won 20 of their last 35 away European matches (D10 L5) and are unbeaten in 12 (W6 D6), since a 3-1 extra-time loss at Real Madrid in the 2021/22 semi-final second leg.

Guardiola's side claimed a fourth successive Premier League title in 2023/24 – a new English record – but lost to neighbours Manchester United in the FA Cup final to miss out on a second successive double.

Links and trivia

Matheus Nunes scored eight goals in 101 games for Sporting between 2019 and 2022, winning the Portuguese Liga in 2020/21 and claiming the Taça da Liga in both that and the following campaign.

Nunes came through the youth ranks at Lisbon district club Ericeirense (2012–18) before a season at Estoril.

Have also played in Portugal:
Ederson (Benfica 2009–17, Ribeirão 2011/12 loan, Rio Ave 2012–15)
Rúben Dias (Estrela da Amadora youth 2006–08, Benfica 2008–20)
Bernardo Silva (Benfica 2002–15)

Have played in England:
Pedro Gonçalves (Wolverhampton Wanderers 2017–19)
Marcus Edwards (Tottenham 2007–19, Norwich loan 2018)
Francisco Trincão (Wolverhampton Wanderers 2021/22 loan)
Viktor Gyökeres (Brighton 2017–20, Coventry 2021–23)

Have played together:
Marcus Edwards & Kyle Walker (Tottenham 2016/17)
Nuno Santos & Ederson (Rio Ave 2012/13, Benfica 2015/16)
Nuno Santos & Rúben Dias (Benfica B 2015/16)
Ricardo Esgaio & Bernardo Silva (Portugal Under-21)
Jeremiah St. Juste & Nathan Aké (Netherlands U21)

International team-mates:
Gonçalo Inácio, Pedro Gonçalves, Geovany Quenda, Francisco Trincão, Rúben Dias, Matheus Nunes & Bernardo Silva (Portugal)
Zeno Debast & Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)

Sporting director of football Hugo Viana will take up a similar role at City next summer.

Latest news

Sporting CP

On 1 November Sporting confirmed coach Rúben Amorim had agreed to take over at Manchester United on 11 November.

The Lions have won all ten Portuguese Liga games this season, scoring 35 goals and conceding only three.

Viktor Gyökeres scored four times in Friday's home win against Estrela to make it 27 goals in his last 24 club appearances.

Sporting have scored in their last 52 Liga matches, their longest streak for 86 years.

Sporting had kept seven successive league clean sheets before conceding on Friday.

Geovany Quenda got the second goal in a 3-0 win at Famalicão on 26 October to become, aged 17 years 179 days, Sporting's youngest league scorer.

Nuno Santos suffered a serious knee injury against Famalicão.

Eduardo Quaresma has been out since 5 October with an ankle sprain.

On 29 October Sporting were 3-1 winners at home to Nacional in the League Cup quarter-finals.

Sporting will be at home to third division Amarante in the Portuguese Cup fourth round on 22 November.

Manchester City

City's unbeaten start to the Premier League season (W7 D2) was ended by a 2-1 loss at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's side had been 32 league matches unbeaten (W26 D6) stretching back to 6 December 2023, a new club record; a 2-1 win at Wolves on 26 October took them past the previous mark of 30.

Erling Haaland has 11 goals in ten Premier League matches this season although only one in his last five.

City lost 2-1 at Tottenham in the last 16 of the English League Cup on 30 October.

Kyle Walker (out since 13 October, knee) started on Saturday while Jérémy Doku (20 October, knock) returned as a late substitute.

Kevin De Bruyne has not played since going off at half-time on Matchday 1 with a groin injury, although he was on the bench at Bournemouth.

Jack Grealish has been out since 20 October with a knock.

Rodri suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Arsenal on 22 September and has undergone surgery that is expected to rule him out for the rest of the season.

Oscar Bobb suffered a leg fracture in training on 14 August.

On 28 October, Rodri became the first City player to win the Ballon d'Or, picking up the award at a ceremony in Paris.