By eliminating Arsenal from the Europa League, Sporting returns to the quarter-finals of a European competition, six years after having reached this level, also in the Europa League but in 2017-18, in which it would end up being eliminated by Atlético de Madrid.
That performance is not, however, the best that the “lions” have done in the competition – in 2011-12 they reached the semi-finals, a time in which they beat Manchester City in the “eighth” and in which they were removed from the final by Athletic de Bilbao.
Sporting is, then, one of the eight teams that will be in this Friday’s draw (12:00), which will take place in Nyon, at the UEFA headquarters. The “lions” may have a reunion with Bruno Fernandes and his Manchester United, or with José Mourinho, coach of Roma.
Qualified for the Europa League quarter-finals: Feyenoord, Manchester United, Juventus, Seville, Bayer Leverkusen, Union Saint-Gilloise, Roma and Sporting.