Mikel Arteta and his Gunners head to Portugal in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, so let’s take a look at the key Sporting CP vs Arsenal F.C. stats ahead of the highly anticipated action.
Sporting CP vs Arsenal F.C. Stats Ahead Of Tuesday’s Champions League Clash
Arsenal travel to Portugal for their Champions League MD5 fixture as they take on high-flying Sporting, who have recently lost their manager, Ruben Amorim, to Manchester United.
Three points separate the pair in the league phase table, with the Portuguese champions currently occupying second place after three wins and a draw, while the Gunners are in 12th after two wins, a draw and a loss.
Mikel Arteta’s side were beaten 1-0 by Inter in their last continental fixture but have since got back to winning ways, defeating Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday courtesy of goals from Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and impressive youngster Ethan Nwaneri.
Sporting, meanwhile, impressively beat reigning English champions Manchester City 4-1 in their last Champions League outing and followed that up with a 4-2 victory over Braga and a 6-0 win over fourth-tier Amarante in the Portuguese Cup.
Now managed by João Pereira following Amorim’s departure, Leões have a near-perfect record across all competitions this season. The Lisbon-based side are unbeaten in 18 straight matches, winning 17 and drawing just once.
Tuesday’s clash will be the first time that the pair have faced off since meeting in the Europa League last-16 in 2023, where Sporting advanced to the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout victory at the Emirates.
Arsenal Favourites Despite Unbeaten Start For Sporting
Despite Sporting’s impressive unbeaten start, the UK’s best football betting sites are favouring Arsenal to come out on top in this one at around 23/20, with a draw priced at around 5/2, while a win for the hosts is rated at around 23/10.
Unsurprisingly given his output this term, Viktor Gyökeres is the favourite to score at anytime at 15/8. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus follow as second favourites to net in Lisbon, priced at 9/4.
You can also see our Sporting CP vs Arsenal preview and predicted lineups here.
Sporting CP vs Arsenal F.C. Stats and Head-to-Head Record
- Met six times in all competitions: Sporting wins = 0, Draws = 4, Arsenal wins = 2
- Most recent meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in 2023, with Sporting triumphing in a penalty shootout
- Sporting have never beaten Arsenal in regulation time
- Each of their last three meetings have all ended in draws
- Both teams have scored in each of their last two meetings
- Over 2.5 goals have been scored in just two of their six meetings throughout history
What Time Does Sporting vs Arsenal Kick-Off and How To Watch?
📅Date: Tuesday, 26th November, 2024
⌚Time: 8.00pm
⚽️Venue: Estádio José Alvalade
📺 TV: TNT Sports 1
Sporting Secured Penalty Shootout Victory When The Pair Last Met
After playing out a 2-2 draw in Lisbon in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie in 2023, Sporting fought from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at the Emirates in the second leg, sending the tie to a penalty shootout.
Adan, who was released at the end of last season, was the hero for Sporting, as he saved Gabriel Martinelli’s penalty before Nuno Santos slotted his away beyond Aaron Ramsdale to ensure a 5-3 triumph in the shootout.
The Portuguese giants would go on to be eliminated in the quarter-finals, falling to a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Juventus.
Arsenal Have Never Lost To Sporting In Regulation Time
Despite the disappointment of the penalty shootout defeat in 2023, Arsenal have never actually lost to Sporting in regulation time. The Gunners’ record against the Liga Portugal side stands at four draws and two victories.
Their most recent victory over Sporting came in 2018, when Danny Welbeck scored the sole goal in a 1-0 Europa League group stage victory, and their other triumph came in the form of a 3-0 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup win back in 1969.
Sporting CP vs Arsenal F.C. Head-To-Head (H2H) Meetings
- 16th March, 2023 (Europa League): Arsenal 1-1 Sporting (3-5 pens)
- 9th March, 2023 (Europa League): Sporting 2-2 Arsenal
- 8th November, 2018 (Europa League): Arsenal 0-0 Sporting
- 25th October, 2018 (Europa League): Sporting 0-1 Arsenal
- 26th November, 1969 (Inter-Cities Fairs Cup): Arsenal 3-0 Sporting
- 29th October, 1969 (Inter-Cities Fairs Cup): Sporting 0-0 Arsenal
Sporting vs Arsenal Stats Suggest A Draw Is Likely On Tuesday Night
If previous meetings are anything to go by, then a draw certainly looks to be the most likely result in this one. Each of the pair’s last three meetings, all in the Europa League coincidentally, have ended in stalemates.
Based on their form this season though, Sporting would surely have to be considered the favourites, especially given the fact that they are at home.
The Portuguese champions have won nine successive matches at home, including the 4-1 drubbing of Manchester City earlier in the month, while Arsenal are winless in their last three away games.
Could the Gunners become Sporting’s latest scalp?
Key Players: Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyökeres The Standouts
As he has done so often since breaking into the first team fold at the Emirates, Bukayo Saka has shone in an Arsenal shirt this season.
The England international has four goals and a league-high eight assists in the English top-flight this term, including a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Forest last time out.
Saka also has one Champions League goal to his name this season, netting in the 2-0 win over French giants Paris Saint-Germain at the start of October.
Perhaps the most in-form striker in the world, Sporting’s Swedish sensation Viktor Gyökeres is undoubtedly the one to watch for the hosts on Tuesday.
Gyökeres has netted a total of 24 goals in 17 games for his club this season and is on pace to beat Lionel Messi‘s record 72-goal season for Barcelona in 2011/12.
The former Brighton forward netted a hat-trick in the win over Manchester City on MD4, which followed four goals against Estrela Amadora the weekend prior, and most recently scored in the 6-0 win over Amarante on Friday.
Not only that, but the 26-year-old added to his tally for Sweden during the November international window, scoring and assisting in their 2-1 win over Slovakia in the Nations League before, incredibly, netting four against Azerbaijan.
