Evening Standard
·7 April 2026
Sporting vs Arsenal: Champions League prediction, kick-off time, team news, TV, live stream, h2h results, odds

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·7 April 2026

Gunners back in continental action after FA Cup disappointment
Arsenal must get their season back on track as they face Sporting in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tonight.
The Gunners’ dreams of a quadruple have been reduced to a double following defeats by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and then Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final in back-to-back games either side of the March international break.
They are still well placed to win the Premier League title, and remain favourites to claim the Champions League trophy for the first time, but must arrest their losing run, and Sporting will provide firm opposition.
The Portuguese champions have just one loss in their last 16 matches, and trounced Bodo/Glimt in the round of 16 to reach this stage of the competition.
The match will see Viktor Gyokeres return to his former club for the first time, too, just nine months after he acrimoniously engineered a move to Arsenal last summer.
Here is everything you need to know about the match...
Sporting vs Arsenal is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off tonight, Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
The match will take place at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.
Live stream: The match will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video, with coverage starting at 6.30pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri.
Arsenal’s faltering form is down in no small part to the number of injuries in the squad.
Gabriel is the latest addition to the injury list after he came off with an apparent knee injury against Southampton, but is fit to play alongside with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.
However, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber remain sidelined.
Piero Hincapie and Eberechi Eze will both miss this match, as will Mikel Merino, who underwent surgery on a foot injury in February.
Sporting’s physios, meanwhile, have a relatively light load. Geovany Quenda, who will join Chelsea this summer, is out with an injury, as is ex-West Ham winger Luis Guilherme. Giorgi Kochorashvili and Ricardo Mangas complete the absentee list.
Midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who has Arsenal’s crest tattooed on his left shoulder, is suspended for the first leg.

Gabriel is ready to return
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal require nothing less than a win in this match if they are to shake off the funk hanging over the club, but they will have their work cut out for them.
Sporting have scored a remarkable 14 goals in their last three matches, shipping only three in that time, and have a great chance to continue that run against Arsenal.
With the added motivation of getting their own back against Gyokeres, who so controversially departed to join Arsenal last summer, they will be perfectly confident of leading into the second leg.
Sporting to win, 2-1.
Arsenal visited Sporting in the league phase of this competition last season, coming away with a decisive 5-1 win. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were among the names on the scoresheet that night, while Gyokeres started up top for the Portuguese contingent.
Sporting wins: 1
Arsenal wins: 3
Draws: 3

Viktor Gyokeres was on the losing side when Arsenal last faced Sporting
Getty Images
Sporting to win: 10/3
Arsenal to win: 4/6
Draw: 11/5
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).









































