Arsenal’s victory over Bayer Leverkusen has made their path to winning the Champions League clearer. Before full-time at the Emirates Stadium, Sporting defeated Bodø/Glimt to secure a spot against either the Gunners or Leverkusen. Following last week’s 1-1 draw with Germany, Arsenal defeated Leverkusen 2-0 thanks to some incredible shooting from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice.
And thanks to the collapse of Bodo/Glimt, the Premier League leaders know they will next face Victor Gokeres’ former team Sporting. The Portuguese side completed a stunning comeback in Lisbon on Tuesday night. They were 3-0 down in the first leg in Norway, but goals from Gonzalo Inácio, Pedro Goncalves and Luis Suárez leveled the score, forcing extra time at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Maxi Araujo then pulled off a stunning comeback to make it 4-3 on aggregate, before Rafael Nel scored his fifth goal to seal their place in the quarter-finals.
If Arsenal defeat Sporting in the last eight, they will face Barcelona, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur or Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals.
Barça are currently tied 1-1 in the first leg at St James’ Park. The second leg in Catalonia is scheduled for Wednesday, with favorites Barça advancing on home soil (5:45 p.m. local time).
Meanwhile, Tottenham beat Atletico 5-2 in the first leg in Madrid. The second leg of this match will also be played on Wednesday (8pm GMT), but given Spurs’ form in 2026, it seems highly unlikely that they will make a comeback.
The Gunners, by contrast, will be optimistic about an extended European tour this season as they sit in the favorable half of the draw, avoiding holders Paris Saint-Germain, European powerhouses Real Madrid and German champions Bayern Munich.
PSG, who eliminated Arsenal in the semi-finals of last year’s competition, held a 5-2 advantage in the first leg in Paris and won 3-0 in the return match at Stamford Bridge. They are scheduled to face either Liverpool or Galatasaray in the quarter-finals. The Reds are trailing 0-1 in the first leg in Türkiye.
The winner of that quarter-final will face either Real Madrid, who beat Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate on Tuesday night, or Bayern, who boast a commanding 6-1 advantage over Atalanta.
