Arsenal cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates on Tuesday night, setting up a romantic tie with Sporting CP next month, which will see Viktor Gyokeres return to Lisbon.
Eberechi Eze’s stunning goal set the Gunners on their way against Leverkusen, before Declan Rice’s neat finish sealed their passage into the last eight. The result keeps Mikel Arteta’s hopes of an unprecedented quadruple alive, with his team continuing to motor on in what is proving to be a gruelling, but extremely successful, campaign for the North London outfit.
Opta Analyst has Arsenal as huge favourites to reach May’s final in Budapest, although they’ll have to overcome a rampant Sporting side in the next round. The Portuguese giants thrashed Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday evening at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, and will be keen to knock their former talisman out of Europe when they face the Gunners.
Arsenal reach the quarter‑finals for the third season in a row 🔴#UCL pic.twitter.com/Uy5EDsHFpW
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 17, 2026
Will Sporting fans boo Viktor Gyokeres?
After a protracted saga involving intense negotiations, Arsenal landed Gyokeres for £63 million last summer. The Swedish striker had come off the back of an astounding season in Portugal, where he netted 54 goals and provided 12 assists in 52 games across all competitions.
This productive campaign led Sporting to the Primeira Liga title, and unsurprisingly, Gyokeres established himself as a beloved figure at the Jose Alvalade. That said, his relationship with Sporting fans may have been hindered by the way he aggressively forced his out of Lisbon and to North London.
He’ll now return to the club where he made a name for himself, with Arsenal set to visit Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final in early April. Whether or not he’ll receive a warm reception remains to be seen, although Portuguese media have conducted some research around this.
Mais Futebol polled Portuguese fans, asking them how Gyokeres will be greeted in the first leg. Writing on their website, the publication posed this specific question: ‘How will Gyökeres be received at Alvalade?’
52% of voters believe Gyokeres will be met with applause and adulation when he steps onto the pitch in Lisbon, with Sporting fans seemingly not forgetting his heroic efforts for their football club between 2023 and 2025.
However, 20% of voters think the player will walk out to a chorus of whistles. The manner in which he pushed his way out has clearly left a sour taste in the mouths of many Sporting followers.
Finally, 29% of voters chose the final option in the poll, clicking ‘it doesn’t matter, what’s important is Luis Suarez’.
Suarez replaced Gyokeres in the summer, signing for Sporting from Spanish second division side Almeria. He’s scored 31 goals across all competitions thus far for the Primeira Liga champions.
From this poll, it seems as though Gyokeres will be in for a largely positive reception from the Sporting crowd when Arsenal visit the Portuguese capital. That said, it’s difficult to ascertain how accurate a sample this poll is, and it’s possible that there’ll be at least a few jeers when he’s on the ball inside the Jose Alvalade.
What Portuguese media have been saying about Viktor Gyokeres ahead of Arsenal vs Sporting
Due to his prolific goalscoring exploits in Portugal, Gyokeres left the European country with an impressive pedigree. However, the pace and intensity of the Premier League has exposed some of the 27-year-old’s limitations, and his reputation has subsequently been somewhat damaged.
It appears this has bled into how Portuguese media now think of the striker. A Bola delivered a slightly damning verdict on the player’s return, after the conclusion of Tuesday night’s last 16 ties.
“Gyokeres returns to Alvalade with more restricted movements and less confidence, but he is one of the main weapons to hurt the team for which he scored 97 goals in 102 games between 2023 and 2025,” they wrote.
Gyokeres will be fired up when he returns to his old stomping ground, eager to prove that he was worthy of his big-money move and can deliver on the biggest stage.
