Renowned for his clinical finishing, Gyökeres is also no stranger to committing fouls. His expected return for this first leg could see him immediately start, providing ample opportunity to be penalised.

Averaging 0.96 fouls per 90 minutes, he has committed at least 1 foul in all 6 of his European starts, registering 2 or more in 3 of them.

The young Englishman is a formidable attacking threat on the left wing, and his ability to draw fouls underscores this. Averaging 1.42 fouls drawn per game this season, he has won 2 or more in each of his last 4 starts and in 8 of his last 12 appearances. Against a Sporting right-hand side that has conceded 16 fouls in their last four games, this trend is likely to continue.

Sporting dominates the corner count domestically, averaging 7.14 per game.

However, in European competitions, this figure drops significantly to 4.25, though they have still managed to secure 4+ corners in 5 of their 8 matches.

Dortmund, meanwhile, are conceding an average of 4.5 corners in Europe, allowing at least 4 in 4 of their 8 matches, but more importantly, 3 of their 4 away European fixtures.

Dortmund’s corner statistics are slightly more prolific in Europe compared to their domestic performances.

While they average 5.52 corners per game in the Bundesliga, this increases to 5.88 in the Champions League. They have won 3+ corners in all but 1 match.

Meanwhile, Sporting’s defensive statistics suggest a vulnerability, conceding an average of 4.00 corners per game in Europe, with at least 3 conceded in 5 of their 8 matches. Expect both teams to attack aggressively, making this a strong market for both sides.

Both teams exhibit strong attacking prowess, with Sporting CP leading their league in scoring (2.71 goals per game) and maintaining an impressive home average (2.4), having netted in every European match.

However, defensive vulnerabilities remain, as they conceded as many as they scored in the group stage.

Dortmund, meanwhile, netted 22 goals in 8 UCL matches, 2nd only to Barcelona, but recent domestic struggles (4 losses in 6) and a leaky away defence (2.1 goals conceded per game) raise concerns.

Despite being naturally suited to playing as a left winger or left midfielder, Araújo has recently been deployed as a left-back in a 4-man defensive system.

While an effective attacking presence, his defensive discipline has been tested, resulting in 8 yellow cards this season – 7 of which have come in his last 14 matches. Dortmund’s right-sided duo of Karim Adeyemi and Julian Ryerson have drawn 9 fouls in their last 3 games together, indicating a challenging night for Araújo.

The Ivorian central defender epitomises physicality in defence, and his aggressive approach often leads to fouls. Despite averaging 1.19 fouls per game, he leads the Sporting lineup in this metric.

Diomande has committed 2 or more fouls in 5 of his last 6 appearances and has been penalised in all 5 of his last Champions League outings, committing at least 2 fouls in three of them.