Arsenal warned about ‘special’ Sporting talent as Viktor Gyokeres record under threat

Apr 6, 2026 - 17:00

Sporting will certainly be no pushovers against Arsenal – Attacking duo Luis Suarez and Francisco Trincao can cause them problems.

Arsenal will be looking to brush off their shock 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Southampton when they return to the Champions League this week.

Sporting celebrate scoring against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League. — Sporting earned their quarter-final spot with a stunning win against Bodo/Glimt

The Gunners are away to Sporting for their quarter-final first leg, live on talkSPORT, on Tuesday night.

Their Lisbon-based hosts overcame a 3-0 first leg loss to Bodo/Glimt in the last 16 by thrashing them 5-0 in the Portuguese capital.

Colombian Suarez scored their third goal to take the tie to extra time and boasts five Champions League goals in total for the season so far.

Viktor Gyokeres, who left Sporting for Arsenal in a £63.7million move in July, holds the club record for most goals in a European campaign.

His tally of six is being closed down by Suarez, whom European football journalist Andy Brassell has named as a potential threat for Arsenal.

Sporting’s super Suarez

“The interesting thing about what Sporting did this Friday night in beating Santa Clara (4-2), no Luis Suarez,” he said on the Trans Europe Express.

“Luis Suarez, Colombian Luis Suarez (not Liverpool and Barcelona legend Luis Suarez)… he’s had a phenomenal season, 33 goals. He was a big driver in that win over Bodo/Glimt in the 5-0…

“It’s weird, of all the games where teams were 3-0 down, the coach, Rui Borges, said it right before the game. ‘If any team can come back from 3-0 down, it’s us’. That really tells you about the level of belief there is in that dressing room.”

Speaking further on their comeback over Bodo/Glimt, Kevin Hatchard added: “They were relentless. From the first moment of that game, they believed they could turn it around.”

“Yeah, they did,” Brassell confirmed. “It never felt like they wouldn’t, really, at any minute, did it? They were fantastic in normal time and in extra time as well.”

Sporting striker Luis Suarez. — Arsenal will have to keep a close eye on their opponents’ star man, Suarez

Tricky Trincao

Trincao is another Sporting forward that Brassell believes could make the difference when they take on Arsenal.

The Gunners will already be aware of the Portuguese’s capabilities, as he has made four appearances against them at Wolves and Sporting.

With 12 goals and 17 assists in all competitions, it’s been a season to remember for Trincao, especially ahead of the World Cup.

Brassell explained: “So many different attacking weapons, they can still score goals without their main goalscorer. Trincao is having a great season. He recently extended his contract.

“He had his moments at Wolves, but has really become something special in his time at Sporting.”

“Are you surprised at how he’s kicked on?” asked Hatchard, to which Brassell replied: “A little bit, actually. It was clear that he had talent from way back before he went to Barcelona.

Francisco Trincao playing for Sporting. — Trincao is another player who has been touted as a potential worry for Arsenal

“At Braga, they identified him as someone special quickly. Then you thought, ‘He’ll get lost at Barcelona’, and he kind of did, to be honest. I think that’s fair; he just went a little bit too soon. But the way he’s rebuilt his career…

“They’ve got a lot of quality, there’s no doubt about it, and just an attitude where they expect to be able to compete.

“They’ve done it in European contests against big teams and against, often, English Premier League teams in the last couple of years. If you think back to that beating of Manchester City.

“They’ve proved that there’s life beyond Viktor Gyokeres. They’ve recruited well, bearing in mind that they don’t have the biggest means in the context of Portuguese football, let alone European football.

“What they’ve done, and what Rui Borges has managed to keep on doing since the exits of (Ruben) Amorim and Gyokeres, is really incredible.

“Arsenal are favourites, there’s no doubt about that, but Sporting are feeling very strong at the moment, and Arsenal are having their first proper wobble of the season, I think it’s fair to say.”