Sporting CP vs Arsenal facts

Sporting CP renew acquaintances with Arsenal on Matchday 5 bidding for a repeat of their blistering display at home to an English club in their most recent UEFA Champions League fixture.

A Viktor Gyökeres hat-trick inspired the Lions to a 4-1 win against Manchester City on Matchday 4 – Ruben Amorim's last European game in charge before departing for Manchester United – and made it three victories from four this season, Sporting having won 2-0 at home to LOSC Lille and at Sturm Graz in addition to a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven.

Arsenal's unbeaten start to the league phase was ended by a 1-0 loss at Inter Milan last time out, the Gunners drawing 0-0 at Atalanta in their first game before home wins against Paris Saint-Germain (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0).

Previous meetings

Matches 4
Sporting wins 0
Arsenal wins 1
Draws 3
Sporting goals 3
Arsenal goals 4

2018/19 Europa League group stage
Sporting 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 0-0 Sporting
Danny Welbeck's late strike in Lisbon was the only goal of the two games; the Gunners would go on to top the group – and later reach the final – with Sporting second.

2022/23 Europa League round of 16
Sporting 2-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Sporting aet; 3-5 pens
After William Saliba's opener in Lisbon, goals either side of half-time from Gonçalo Inácio and Paulinho put Sporting in front but Hidemasa Morita's own goal ensured it ended all square.

Arsenal struck first in north London through Granit Xhaka but Pedro Gonçalves' spectacular long-range effort – the Europa League's goal of the season – forced extra time and ultimately penalties. Gabriel Martinelli was the only one of the nine takers to not convert his kick, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard scoring for the home side but Jeremiah St. Juste, Ricardo Esgaio, Inácio, Arthur Gomes and Nuno Santos doing likewise for Sporting.

Form guide

Sporting CP

Record vs English clubs: W11 D8 L11 F43 A37
Home record vs English clubs: W9 D2 L4

The defeat of Manchester City on Matchday 4 ended Sporting's run of three successive draws, and four in five matches (W1), against Premier League opponents. A 0-5 loss to City in the 2021/22 Champions League round of 16 first leg is Sporting's only reverse in their last eight games with English clubs – a run that includes five draws.

The Lions have won nine of their 15 home games against English visitors although Matchday 4 was only their second in the last six (D1 L3), the other a 2-0 defeat of Tottenham on 2022/23 Champions League Matchday 2.

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

The most recent came in 2022/23, when the Lions finished third in their section 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, 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 five victories in their last 14 home European games (D4 L5). In the Champions League, they have won seven of their last 14 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.

Amorim departed for Manchester United on 11 November, Sporting naming João Pereira as his successor on a deal until 2027.

Arsenal

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W8 D7 L5 F33 A20
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W1 D5 L4

Arsenal beat Sporting's domestic rivals Porto 4-2 on penalties in last season's round of 16 after each team had won 1-0 at home.

That second-leg success was just the Gunners' second in their last seven matches against Portuguese teams (D4 L1); the first-leg loss is their only reverse in ten (W4 D5).

The 1-0 win at Sporting in 2018 is Arsenal's only victory in their nine visits to Portugal, where they were unbeaten in three matches (W1 D2) before losing at Porto last season. Their 2023 draw at Sporting is the only game in which they scored more than once; they managed just four goals in total in the other eight games.

Having not featured in the Champions League proper between 2016/17 and 2023/24, Arsenal are making their second successive appearance.

Overall, this is Arsenal's 21st Champions League campaign – second only to Manchester United's 25 among English clubs – but only their second in the last eight seasons. The 2016/17 season had been their 19th in a row, all under Arsène Wenger.

Mikel Arteta's side finished first in Group B last season and then edged past Porto – their first round of 16 success since 2009/10, also against the Portuguese side – but lost to Bayern München in the quarter-finals (2-2 h, 0-1 a).

Arsenal have won 12 of their last 23 away European matches, losing only six – although those defeats have come in their last 11.

Champions League runners-up in 2006, when they lost 2-1 to Barcelona at the Stade de France, Arsenal were second in the Premier League last season, finishing behind Manchester City for the second successive campaign.

Links and trivia

Have played in England:
Pedro Gonçalves (Wolverhampton Wanderers 2017–19)
Francisco Trincão (Wolverhampton Wanderers 2021/22 loan)
Marcus Edwards (Tottenham 2006–19, Norwich 2018 loan)
Viktor Gyökeres (Brighton 2018–21, Swansea 2020/21 loan, Coventry 2021–24)

Edwards gave Vitória SC the lead at Arsenal in the 2019/20 Europa League group stage, Martinelli equalising as the Gunners went on to win 3-2.

Have played together:
Francisco Trincão & Neto (Barcelona 2020/21)
Viktor Gyökeres & Ben White (Brighton 2018, 2020)
Viktor Gyökeres & Leandro Trossard (Brighton 2020)

International team-mates:
Hidemasa Morita & Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan)
Zeno Debast & Leandro Trossard (Belgium)

Arteta played in both legs as Everton won 2-1 at home but lost 3-0 away against Sporting in the 2009/10 Europa League round of 32.

Latest news

Sporting CP

Sporting were 6-0 winners at home to third division Amarante in the Portuguese Cup fourth round on Friday, Marcus Edwards scoring twice.

On 10 November Sporting came from 2-0 down at half-time to win 4-2 at Braga, substitute Conrad Harder – who was also on target on Friday – scoring two late goals to seal victory in Ruben Amorim's last game in charge.

That equalled two club records – Sporting's best start to a league season (11 wins) and longest unbeaten run (32 games); they surpassed the latter mark on Friday.

Viktor Gyökeres scored in Sweden's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win against Slovakia on 16 November and then hit four in a 6-0 defeat of Azerbaijan three days later to go in front in the race to be top scorer with nine goals. The striker now has 12 in his last 12 international appearances.

Gyökeres has 33 goals in 25 games for club and country this season – including 17 in his last nine, most recently a late penalty on Friday.

Hidemasa Morita, who scored Sporting's first goal in Braga, was also on target in Japan's 4-0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying win against Indonesia on 15 November.

Pedro Gonçalves suffered an adductor injury against Braga and is expected to be out until January.

Zeno Debast went off at half-time of Belgium's 1-0 loss against Israel on 17 November having suffered a thigh injury and was absent on Friday.

Arsenal

Arsenal ended a run of four Premier League games without a win (D2 L2) with a 3-0 home defeat of Nottingham Forest on Saturday, their first league success since 5 October.

It was the Gunners' 2,000th top-flight win, making them the second club to reach that mark after Liverpool.

Ethan Nwaneri came on to add Arsenal's third goal, making him the club's second-youngest Premier League scorer aged 17 years 247 days.

Arsenal have conceded two goals in four of their last eight league matches, the same as in their previous 24. Having started the Premier League campaign with three clean sheets in four games, they were without one in seven before Saturday's shut-out.

Kai Havertz was on target as Germany reached the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals with a 7-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 16 November.

Riccardo Calafiori started on Saturday having not played since suffering a knee injury against Shakhtar on 22 October.

Ben White underwent knee surgery over the international break and has been ruled out for "several months".

Declan Rice (broken toe) went off injured in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea on 10 November and was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out since 5 October due to a knee injury.

Kieran Tierney (thigh) is yet to play this season.