Viktor Gyokeres has improved as the season has unfolded, netting 17 goals in his 43 appearances across all competitions with 10 of these goals coming since the turn of the year. 

He’s playing with plenty of confidence right now having scored in both games for Sweden over the international break which helped them to secure a spot at the World Cup in the summer. He also marked his return to domestic duties with a goal against Southampton as Arsenal exited the FA Cup.

Gyokeres has scored four goals across his seven starts in the Champions League this season, managing 22 shots across these games (3.57 per 90), with 11 of these efforts finding the target (1.78 per 90). He should be motivated to extend this decent record when he lines up against his former club. 

These metrics are an improvement on his domestic stats, which suggests that Gyokeres prefers playing in the Champions League compared to the Premier League - probably because of the extra time and space he gets in Europe given the slightly slower pace of games.

I think Zubimendi has been brilliant for Arsenal over the course of the season. He’s attracted some criticism recently, but I think you could extend that to the entirety of the Arsenal squad with Mikel Arteta’s side exiting two cup competitions across their last two matches.

Zubimendi only played 11 minutes against Southampton, so should be fit enough to start here, he committed a foul in the cup final just before the international break and has committed 27 fouls across his 30 starts in the Premier League this season (0.93 per 90). 

Zubimendi has also committed a crazy 17 fouls across his eight starts in the Champions League this season (2.25 per 90) - a massive increase on his numbers in the Premier League which I found quite interesting as you’d expect his numbers in the more intense competition to be more inflated. 

This is a good sign for our selection though, and possibly even warrants testing higher lines for Zubimendi fouls. His direct opponent here is likely to be Trincao who has won seven fouls across his nine starts in the Champions League this season (0.81 per 90).

Bukayo Saka is another Arsenal player who has been singled out for criticism over the last few weeks. I think people expect a bit more from Saka, he hasn’t been at his best this season, but some of the criticism he’s getting is unwarranted and skips over his obvious talent.

One of the strongest aspects of Saka’s game is his ability to beat players in 1v1 battles. He’s incredibly hard to stop, and is hauled down to the ground regularly as a result. He’s only won six fouls across his six fouls in the Champions League this season (1.20 per 90), which isn’t reflective of how strong Saka is when it comes to drawing challenges.

Saka has won 51 fouls across his 22 starts in the Premier League this season (2.29 per 90), and has maintained this rate for the last few seasons:

• 24/25: 2.02 fouls won p/90 (20 starts) 

• 23/24: 2.12 fouls won p/90 (35 starts) 

• 22/23: 1.83 fouls won p/90 (37 starts) 

This consistency is very impressive, and shows that his current numbers in the Champions League are a bit of an anomaly. He’s expected to be running at Ivan Fresnada - who is quite highly rated - with his opposite fullback averaging just under 1.0 fouls committed per 90, a rate we can expect to rise here against Saka. 

Arsenal are as vulnerable as they have been all season at the moment and I think Sporting are primed to take advantage. These sides have faced off in European competition before under Arteta’s reign with Sporting knocking Arsenal out of the Europa League at this stage of the competition a few seasons prior. 

Sporting have only failed to score in one of their last 43 matches across all competitions. They’ve taken on the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich in this time, so it’s fair to assume that they can be competitive in the home leg of this quarter final tie. Bodo Glimt were the side to keep them out in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash, though Sporting rallied well in the second leg to come away 5-0 winners and set up this clash.

Sporting have scored 34 goals across their 27 matches against English sides in European competition since 2018, and last welcomed Arsenal in the Champions League back in 2024 - getting on the scoresheet as Arsenal came away 5-1 winners. This game is unlikely to be as one sided with Arsenal struggling at the moment having only kept three clean sheets across their last 10 matches which is uncharacteristic for Arteta’s side. 

Declan Rice has been Arsenal’s best player so far this season in my view, and the Gunners desperately miss him whenever he is unavailable. I noted at the start of the season that I wanted to see a bit more from Rice in the final third, given his role on set pieces and more advanced position with Martin Zubimendi now offering appropriate cover for the defensive line.

Rice has registered 14 goal contributions across all competitions this season, just five away from the tally he set last term (19). Three of those goal contributions have come across six starts in the Champions League. Rice’s role on set pieces really makes this angle stand out for me. We know how effective Arsenal can be from these situations, and Mikel Arteta’s side have scored seven of their 26 Champions League goals from set pieces this term (26%).

Rice registered an assist when the sides met in the Champions League a few seasons ago, sending in a brilliant delivery from a corner for Gabriel to head home.

This is quite a good price for me. There was a period during last season where this market dropped quite low and put you off backing it, as despite being one of the best defenders in Europe when it comes to attacking set pieces, you’re still banking on Arsenal getting the corners to give Gabriel those chances.

I also think some sides have got a bit better at managing the threat of Gabriel, but he’s still managed to pitch in with four goals this season. He’s had seven shots across his six starts in the Champions League this term (1.21 per 90), seeing three of those efforts find the target (0.52 per 90). Those are appealing numbers for a centre back, strengthened further by his record in the Premier League (0.75 shots per 90).

Gabriel scored when the sides last met in the Champions League a few seasons ago, heading home from a Declan Rice corner - which is usually how he ends up on the scoresheet. Gabriel’s goalscoring trait reminds me a little of John Terry. It’s important you have some wildcard scoring options in your squad when the main threats are misfiring, and Gabriel is one of those for Arsenal.

Araujo is quite an underrated player and is expected to line up in the backline for Sporting here. He’s picked up more yellow cards than any other Sporting player Liga Portugal this season (nine), with the left back committing 13 fouls across his nine starts in the Champions League (1.46 per 90).

Araujo has picked up three yellow cards across his nine starts in the Champions League this term; only Morten Hjulmand (five) has picked up more cards in the competition than Araujo this season.

Francisco Trincao played his part in Sporting Lisbon’s notable turnaround against Bodo/Glimt in the previous round, as he contributed two assists in that 5-0 win. He played 110 minutes before being replaced deep into extra time, highlighting his importance to the Portuguese side. Trinaco is more than just a creator, though, as he also racked up seven shots in that match and was unfortunate not to find the net. 

Trincao is averaging 2.76 shots per 90 in the Champions League this season, and has hit this mark in six of his nine starts overall. Although this upcoming match against Arsenal looks set to be a tough one, Trincao managed three shots against PSG at home earlier in the competition, despite Sporting only having 25% possession. Rui Borges’ men can be effective on the counter, and Trincao has been one of their most active players in the final third. 

Sporting Lisbon were barely able to scrape through the round of 16 against Bodo/Glimt, but they did well in the end to complete the comeback, after losing 3-0 in the first leg. Luis Suarez was only fouled once in the second leg meeting, but this matchup against Arsenal promises to be a very different contest. 

Suarez is likely to be quite isolated upfront, with the Gunners expected to dominate proceedings. He will have the thankless task of chasing shadows, and will have to play a key role in holding up the ball when Sporting do establish themselves in possession. However, Suarez excels at that task, and is averaging 2.55 fouls drawn per 90 in the Champions League. The Colombian international uses his body so well to retain possession, and has been fouled twice against both Bayern Munich and PSG this season. In fact, Suarez has hit this mark in seven of his eight starts on the European stage. 

Viktor Gyokeres’ relationship with Sporting Lisbon turned sour towards the end of his time there, as he completed the move to London over the summer. The Swede will make his return to the Jose Alvalade Stadium on Tuesday night, and is likely to get a frosty reception from both fans and players. 

Sporting are only averaging 10.7 fouls per game in the Champions League this season, but they racked up 17 infringements against Bodo/Glimt last time out in the competition.

Gyokeres is averaging 1.32 fouls drawn per 90 this season, rising steeply to 2.1 when playing in the Champions League. He has been fouled at least once in seven of his eight appearances on the European stage overall.