Arsenal Form
Arsenal claimed victory in the first leg thanks to a single goal scored in added time. This was only the second match for the English side in the Champions League 2025/26 in which the team scored fewer than two goals, while it was already their seventh clean sheet. Reliable defending will help Mikel Arteta's side in the return leg, where the home team will also be satisfied with a draw. At the same time, the club have lost only one of their last 23 home matches in the Champions League, so their chances of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament for the second year in a row are quite high.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 5 of the previous 7 Champions League matches involving the London side.
- On their own pitch in this European competition, the team are on a run of 5 wins.
- In 6 of the previous 7 home matches in the Champions League, the club did not concede more than one goal.
Potential Arsenal Lineup (3-4-3)
David Raya – Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White, William Saliba – Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard – Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres.
Midfielder Mikel Merino, defender Jurrien Timber and forwards Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka will miss the match through injury.
Sporting Form
Sporting's defeat in the previous match ended a run of 6 home wins for the Lisbon side in the current edition of the tournament, and it was only the second time the visitors failed to score. To reach the next round, the Portuguese club need to beat the London side by at least two goals. However, the team have recorded wins by the required margin in the Champions League 2025/26 exclusively at home. Moreover, away from home the visitors have only one win in their last 8 Champions League matches (2 draws, 5 defeats), and that victory came by a one-goal margin. If a similar result is repeated, extra time will be needed.
- At least three goals were scored in 6 of the previous 7 Champions League matches involving the Lisbon side.
- In 6 of the last 8 away games in this tournament, the team conceded at least two goals.
- The Portuguese side scored in 13 of their previous 15 away fixtures in the Champions League.
Potential Sporting Lineup (4-5-1)
Rui Silva – Ricardo Mangas, Goncalo Inacio, Georgios Vagiannidis, Ousmane Diomande – Daniel Braganca, Joao Simoes, Geny Catamo, Morten Hjulmand, Francisco Trincao – Luis Suarez.
Forwards Fotis Ioannidis and Nuno Santos are injured.
