Sporting CP vs Arsenal LIVE commentary: Kick-off time, team news and how to follow Champions League quarter-final

Arsenal travel to Portugal to take on Sporting Lisbon tonight in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, live on talkSPORT.

The Gunners are looking to get back on track in Europe, after a nightmare fortnight which has seen their quadruple and treble hopes collapse.

Getty

After suffering a disappointing Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, Mikel Arteta’s side were then dumped out of the FA Cup by Championship outfit Southampton over the weekend.

This leaves just the Premier League and Champions League as the remaining silverware Arsenal can clinch this season.

Despite recent setbacks, they can take confidence heading into their next clash, having been near perfect in Europe this season.

The Premier League leaders overcame Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 with a hard-fought 3-1 aggregate win, drawing the first leg.

But they will be wary of Sporting’s threat, who fought back from a 3-0 first leg loss to Bodo/Glimt in the last 16 by thrashing them 5-0 in the Portuguese capital.

The last eight clash is also a homecoming of sorts for Viktor Gyokeres, who left Sporting for Arsenal in a £64million move last summer.

Sporting CP vs Arsenal: Date and how to follow

This Champions League quarter-final first leg will take place on Tuesday, April 7.

Kick-off at the Jose Alvalade Stadium is scheduled for 8pm.

talkSPORT will have live commentary from the Portuguese capital, with Adrian Durham serving as your host.

Talking you through the game on commentary will be Jim Proudfoot and former Benfica defender Scott Minto.

Getty

Tune in to talkSPORT through the website via the live stream or find us on DAB digital radio through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Download and listen to all our live commentaries via the talkSPORT app.

Visit talkSPORT BET for all the latest odds and bet boosts for every big event.

Subscribe to our talkSPORT YouTube channel for news, views and analysis plus our regular goals show and for more, follow us on talkSPORT Facebook and talkSPORT X.

The match will also be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video, with coverage starting at 6:30pm UK time.

Sporting CP vs Arsenal: Team News

Arsenal’s recent struggles have coincided with a number of injuries to key players, and tonight is no different.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber are both unavailable for their Champions League quarter-final.

Piero Hincapie and Eberechi Eze will both miss the match, as well as Mikel Merino, who underwent surgery on a foot injury in February.

However, the Gunners have been handed a boost with the news that key trio Declan Rice, Gabriel and Leandro Trossard are all fit for the game in Portugal following recent scares.

As for Sporting, their absentees include Chelsea-bound youngster Geovany Quenda, who is yet to return from a metatarsal fracture.

The hosts will also be without summer signing Fotis Ioannidis and ex-West Ham winger Luis Guilherme, who join full backs Nuno Santos and Ricardo Mangas among those ruled out.

Elsewhere, Sporting captain Morten Hjulmand will miss the first leg clash through suspension.

Arsenal will be wary of the threat posed by Sporting’s attacking duo Luis Suarez and Francisco Trincao, with the former boasting a staggering 33 goals in all competitions this term.

Getty

Sporting CP vs Arsenal: What has been said?

Speaking to the media ahead of the Sporting clash, Arteta revealed Gyokeres was ‘excited’ about the upcoming reunion with his former club.

Gyokeres made the move to north London last summer after a prolific two years in Lisbon, where he fired in 97 goals in 102 games.

Asked about the Swede facing Sporting, Arteta said: “I think he’s very excited.

“Obviously, he’s full of gratitude for his time here. The way he talks about the club, the players, the staff, everybody around the club. The experience that he had, how important that part of his journey in Sporting has been.

“And now it’s Arsenal, it’s a quarter-final of the Champions League, he’s never played at this level in the competition and obviously you can imagine what it means to him.”