The quarterfinals matches in the 2026 UEFA Champions League begin on Tuesday, April 7. Wth only eight teams left, one of the first two matchups will bring us Sporting vs. Arsenal at 3:00 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
According to PrizePicks Team Picks, Arsenal are massive road favorites as the No. 1 team in the Champions League table and the favorite to win the tournament, returning a 1.75x payout if they secure a victory on Tuesday.
Below, we’ll discuss our Sporting vs. Arsenal prediction and picks for Tuesday’s first-leg Champions League match, including a player match picks and a prediction on total goals.
Use PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to make selections on player stats, winners, total goals, and other stats to earn real money during the 2026 Champions League!
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Sporting vs. Arsenal Prediction and Picks for Champions League Match – Tuesday, April 7
After going down 3-0 in the round of 16 first-leg match against Bodo/Glimt, Sporting impressively clawed back to win 5-0 in the second leg to earn a spot in the UCL quarterfinals.
Sporting CP are second in the Liga Portugal standings despite having the best goal difference in the league (+55), and they’ve gone 3-0-1 in their last four UCL outings.
Arsenal has yet to lose a game in Champions League competition this season, recording a stellar 9-1-0 record upon defeating Bayer Leverkusen, 3-1 on aggregate in the round of 16.
On top of being the favorites to win the Champions League (3.44x payout), Arsenal is in a fantastic spot to be the Premier League winner (1.11x payout), via PrizePicks Team Picks. At the moment, the Gunners are nine points ahead of Man City in the EPL table.
Although DF Gabriel, MF Declan Rice, and F Leandro Trossard are expected to be fit enough to play on Tuesday, Arsenal could be without F Bukayo Saka and DF Jurrien Timber for the first leg against Sporting.
Champions League: Sporting vs. Arsenal Winner, Total Goals Payouts – 4/7/26
Arsenal enters Tuesday’s Champions League match as road favorites for the first leg, returning a 1.75x payout ($100 entry pays out $175) on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
Sporting are home underdogs with a 4x ($400 payout on a $100 entry) payout if they secure a victory, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Winner Payout: Arsenal – 1.75x | Tie – 3.57x | Sporting – 4x
Spread: Arsenal -1.5 (3.12x Payout)
Total Goals: 2.5 (Over – 1.85x)
Both Teams to Score: Yes 1.75x | No 2x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Sporting vs. Arsenal Prediction on Total Goals
Here are some key stats to know to help you make your Sporting vs. Arsenal prediction on total goals for Tuesday, April 7 in the Champions League quartefinal match.
Check out more of our soccer picks and predictions on Playbook, including every Champions League match.
- Although Arsenal is a defensive-minded squad, they’ve had at least 3 total goals scored in six of their 10 Champions League matches.
- As for Sporting, they’ve had 3 or more total goals posted in nine of their 10 UCL games.
- On top of that, Sporting has seen at least 3 total goals netted in 19 of their 24 home games across all competitions.
- According to FotMob, Arsenal is third in shots on target per match (7.7), while Sporting is 12th (5.5) in the same metric.
- Up to this point, Arsenal is fifth in goals per match (2.6), and Sporting is ninth (2.2) in the Champions League.
- Arsenal is dealing with injuries to their back line — including RB Jurrien Timber, and have given up multiple goals in back-to-back non-UCL matches.
- We could see a decent number of opportunities created from corners, as Arsenal is 10th in corners taken (57) and Sporting CP is 14th (49) in the UCL.
Sporting vs. Arsenal Projected Lineups for Tuesday, April 7
Here are the projected Sporting vs. Arsenal lineups for today's Champions League match for Tuesday, April 7. Lineups are not official as aof publishing.
Sporting Lineup vs. Arsenal: Projected 4-2-3-1
- Goalkeeper: Rui Silva
- Defense: Maxi Araujo, Goncalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Ivan Fresneda
- Midfield: Hidemasa Morita, Zeno Debast, Trincao
- Forwards: Pote, Luis Suarez, Geny Catamo
Arsenal Lineup vs. Sporting: Projected 4-3-3
- Goalkeeper: David Raya
- Defense: Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White
- Midfield: Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard
- Forwards: Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke
Sporting vs. Arsenal Player Picks for Champions League Match: Tuesday, April 7
Here are two Sporting vs. Arsenal picks to target on players for Tuesday, April 7. Match player picks via PrizePicks are headlined by Arsenal F Gabriel Martinelli and Sporting F Luis Suarez.
Arsenal F Gabriel Martinelli vs. Sporting
Gabriel Martinelli Projections via PrizePicks: 1.5 Shots (Goblin), 0.5 Shots on Target (Goblin), 0.5 Goal + Assist (Demon)
- In each of his five UCL starts, Gabriel Martinelli has taken at least 2 shots.
- Furthermore, Martinelli has logged 1 or more shots on target in four of his five Champions League starts.
- Martinelli has 6 goals and 1 assist in UCL competition, and he leads Arsenal in expected goals + assists per 90 minutes (1.13), per FotMob.
Sporting F Luis Suarez vs. Arsenal
Luis Suarez Projections via PrizePicks: 2.5 Shots, 0.5 Shots on Target (Goblin), 0.5 Goal + Assist (Demon)
- Over his 10 Champions League appearances, Luis Suarez has taken at least 3 shots in seven of them.
- Sporting needs to be ultra-aggressive to have any chance of upsetting Arsenal, and Suarez has the second-most shots on target per 90 (1.6) on the squad.
- Along with being tied for the most goals + assists (7) on the team in UCL competition, Suarez handles most of the penalty kicks for Sporting.
Make Your Sporting vs. Arsenal Picks on PrizePicks
There’s no doubt it will be a tall order for Sporting to eliminate Arsenal in the quarterfinals, but all of the pressure is on the Gunners to perform well. Can Sporting CP keep things close entering the second leg with the home advantage today?
You can make your Sporting vs. Arsenal predictions on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money on Champions League matches.
Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats like shots or goals, and cash in if you’re correct. On Team Picks, make predictions on winners, total goals, both teams to score, and more, now available in 35 states.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued Champions League predictions, picks, and analysis until a champion is crowned.
