Sporting vs Arsenal LIVE: Team news, line-ups and prediction as Rice and Gabriel doubts for Champions League quarter-final

Swipe for next article

Liveupdated

Sporting vs Arsenal LIVE: Champions League team news as Rice and Gabriel doubts for quarter-final

Mikel Arteta’s men continue their European campaign after back-to-back defeats in the Carabao and FA Cups

Arsenal travel to Portugal for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP with Mikel Arteta’s side looking to respond to back-to-back defeats.

The Gunners had been on to win a quadruple this season but that prospect has been firmly ended in just two games in the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup quarter-finals, leaving Arsenal with the two major prizes of the Champions League and Premier League titles to play for.

Arteta is also juggling injury concerns with plenty of key personnel, including Declan Rice and Gabriel, doubts for tonight’s match. The Gunners will hope to regain their winning form if they hope to alleviate the building pressure and claim silverware in 2026.

Standing in their way is a Sporting side that has performed well in the Champions League this year. They finished seventh in the group stage then eased past Bodo/Glimt 5-3 on aggregate despite losing the first leg away from home.

Follow all the action from the Champions League quarter-final with our live blog below:

Mikel Arteta, forcing his coolness, is feeling the burden of Arsenal’s now-failed quadruple bid

For moments like Saturday’s surprise FA Cup defeat to Southampton, Mikel Arteta now has a set process. The Basque has even been witnessed privately forcing a changed facial expression before speaking to media or his players, to radiate a desired mood.

Arsenal’s many critics would quip he’s had to get used to such moments.

It is precisely because of such noise around the club, however, that Arteta seeks to immediately shape the responses. He knows criticism will already be scathing and any mockery will be, well, quadrupled, so there’s little need to make his players further dwell on that.

How Arteta is feeling the burden of Arsenal’s now-failed quadruple bid

Arsenal have seen their quadruple hopes diminish to the double within the space of two weeks and head to Lisbon needing to keep their Champions League bid on track

Miguel Delaney7 April 2026 16:45

Sporting v Arsenal

Arsenal are unbeaten in their five fixtures against Sporting (two wins, three draws), most recently winning 5-1 in Portugal on Matchday 5 last season.

Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard scored for the visitors, Goncalo Inácio getting Sporting's sole reply.

Mike Jones7 April 2026 16:37

Arsenal's great start

Arsenal won all eight games in the league phase – the first team to achieve the feat under the new format.

They then beat Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 (3-1 on aggregate).

Mike Jones7 April 2026 16:30

Sporting's route to last eight

Sporting reached the European Cup quarter-finals for only the second time with a memorable round of 16 comeback against Bodø/Glimt, overturning a 3-0 first-leg loss in Norway with a 5-0 extra-time victory in Lisbon.

Sporting had finished seventh in the league phase to progress to the round of 16 for the third time.

Mike Jones7 April 2026 16:22

What has Mikel Arteta said?

Following the defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup, the Arsenal manager explained how his team are going through a difficult period but will remain focused for the run-in to the end of the season.

“Really disappointed in the manner that we lost the opportunity to get back to Wembley,” said Arteta. “Someone has to take responsibility. That’s me and we have the most beautiful period of the season ahead of us.

“This is the first moment that we have with a certain level of difficulty. We’re going to say difficulty when we’re going to play the Champions League quarter-finals and the run-up for the league.

“If this is a difficult period, I believe there are many other ones that are much more difficult, so let’s stand up, make yourself comfortable and deliver like we’ve been doing all season.”

Mike Jones7 April 2026 16:14

Mikel Arteta takes responsibility for Arsenal’s shock FA Cup exit

Mikel Arteta took responsibility for Arsenal’s meek FA Cup quarter-final exit at Southampton as the Premier League leaders blew a glorious chance to return to Wembley.

A fortnight on from the disappointing Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City, the absentee-hit Gunners lost to Championship opposition at a rocking St Mary’s on Saturday evening.

Mikel Arteta takes responsibility for Arsenal’s shock FA Cup exit to Southampton

A fortnight on from the disappointing Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City, the Gunners fell to defeat at a rocking St Mary’s on Saturday night

Mike Jones7 April 2026 16:07

Arsenal chasing connection with fans

Madueke also spoke about the connection Arsenal’s players have with the fans and how he and his teammates are always chasing they feeling they get from the supporters when playing at home.

Madueke said: “When you're playing at home, you can kind of feel that you’ve got the crowd [with you] and they’re waiting on the next thing you do.

“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s something that you can’t really explain, and it’s something that you’re always chasing."

Mike Jones7 April 2026 16:00

Madueke on staying motivated

More from the Arsenal winger who explained how he keeps himself motivated.

"My motivation, for sure, is to bring joy to the people I’m around, whether that’s with the ball at my feet or just in my life,” he said.

“My friends, my family, my team-mates, the people that come to the stadium or watch, people at home watching, everyone I can, you know?

“If you could touch them with something as simple as playing with a football, that’s something really special."

Mike Jones7 April 2026 15:52

Arsenal need to 'manifest' winning trophies

After Arsenal were dumped out of two cup competitions in as many games, Noni Madueke is calling on his teammates to ‘manifest’ the things they want to achieve.

He told Uefa: "I feel like the greatest athletes of all time have a little bit of delusion because you need to believe it before it manifests.

“If you believe that you can be the best even before it's your reality, you give yourself the opportunity.

“When you step on the pitch, you have to believe that in any game, in any context, versus any opponent, you can make the difference."

Mike Jones7 April 2026 15:45

Mikel Arteta rues ‘defending errors’ as Arsenal dumped out of FA Cup

Mikel Arteta rued Arsenal’s ‘defending errors’ as his team suffered consecutive defeats for the first time this season and were dumped out of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 loss at Southampton.

Super sub Shea Charles fired the Saints to Wembley as Tonda Eckert’s Championship side stunned the Premier League leaders Arsenal in a famous FA Cup quarter-final victory.

Arteta rues ‘defending errors’ as Arsenal’s loss to Saints dumps them out of FA Cup

Southampton 2-1 Arsenal: Shea Charles struck late to seal the win at St Mary’s and book the Saints a place at Wembley

Mike Jones7 April 2026 15:37

Click here to read article