This will be the seventh meeting between Sporting CP and Arsenal in European competition, while the Portuguese side are still looking for their first victory over the Gunners (D4 L2). Each of the last three meetings between the two have ended level, however.

If Sporting CP fail to win this match, Arsenal will be the opponent they’ve faced the most times in European competition without ever winning (7). They’re winless in six against them so far, which is their joint-most against an opponent, along with Bayer Leverkusen and Partizan Belgrade.

Arsenal have only won one of their 11 away matches against Portuguese sides in major European competition (D6 L4), while they were beaten on their most recent trip last season (0-1 v FC Porto in February). The Gunners’ only such victory did come away to Sporting CP, however (1-0 in October 2018).

Sporting CP are unbeaten in their four UEFA Champions League games this season (W3 D1), although all were under manager Rúben Amorim who has since left. This will be João Pereira’s first match as a manager in the competition, while the last Sporting CP boss to win his first such game was Paulo Bento back in September 2006 (1-0 v Internazionale) – the previous three all failed to win (D1 L2).

Arsenal are winless in their last five away games in the UEFA Champions League (D2 L3), while failing to score in each of the last four. Only one English team has ever failed to score in five consecutive away games in European Cup/Champions League history: Manchester United (5 – October 2004-November 2005).

Teams who’ve faced Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League this season have seen 57% of their total touches come while under high-intensity pressure from an opposition player – this is the highest percentage for oppositions sides against a specific opponent in 2024-25.

Viktor Gyökeres has been directly involved in six goals in four UEFA Champions League appearances for Sporting CP this season (5 goals, 1 assist), already the joint-most by a player in a single campaign for the club in the competition (also 6 by Nani in 2014-15).

Among midfielders to have contested 10+ duels in the UEFA Champions League, the two players with the highest duel success rate are Arsenal pair Declan Rice (79% - 11/14) and Mikel Merino (75% - 12/16). Meanwhile, the player with the best aerial duel success rate in the competition this term is Gabriel Magalhães (86% - 12/14, min. 10 aerial duels).

If the 17-year-old Geovany Quenda features for Sporting CP in this game, he will equal Rúben Neves for the most UEFA Champions League appearances by a Portuguese player while under-18 (5 – Quenda currently on 4 appearances).

Kai Havertz (146) and Leandro Trossard (99) make up two of the three players who have made the most high-intensity pressures in the final third in the UEFA Champions League this season (Ludovic Ajorque 2nd on 107). Indeed, Arsenal are the side who’ve made the most as a team (543) in the competition this term.