Arsenal take on Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, in the second leg of their quarter-final encounter, on the cusp of reaching back-to-back Champions League semi-finals for the first time ever.
Mikel Arteta's men left it late to snatch a 1-0 win at the Estadio Jose Alvalade last week, but the domestic cracks have continued to widen for the jaded hosts.
Visiting a venue where they had found the back of the net five times in the 2024-25 league phase, Arsenal likely would have settled for a grand total of zero goals in the first leg against Sporting, who found no way past the impenetrable wall that was David Raya.
However, super subs Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz combined for a last-gasp winner on Portuguese turf, meaning that it is firmly advantage Arsenal as the Gunners endeavour to set up a semi-final tie with Atletico Madrid.
By avoiding defeat to their Primeira Liga foes in midweek, Arsenal would have made the UCL semis in successive seasons for the first time in their illustrious history, and the Gunners have won 17 of their last 18 continental two-legged ties when claiming a first-leg victory on the road.
The hosts also boast an eight-game unbeaten home run against Portuguese teams in Europe - winning six and drawing two of those contests, excluding penalty shootouts - but the Emirates walls came crumbling down at the weekend.
Indeed, Bournemouth's merited 2-1 Premier League victory allowed Manchester City to cut the gap at the top down to six points with a game in hand, and in the eyes of many, the outcome of this weekend's Etihad extravaganza could determine the fate of the title.
Suffering as many defeats in their last four games as they had in their first 49 matches of the season (three), the famed Arsenal 'bottle' is showing signs of rearing its ugly head again, but progression to the UCL semis - however ugly it may be - could have untold psychological benefits before Sunday's season-defining showdown.
While Arsenal are the Porto of the Premier League at the time of writing, Sporting are the Man City of the Primeira Liga, as Rui Borges's men kept the Dragons honest with their third straight league victory at the weekend.
Daniel Braganca's fifth league goal of the season was enough to propel Sporting to a 1-0 triumph over Estrela Amadora, keeping the Green-Whites five points adrift of Porto - who have played a game more - in the Primeira Liga standings.
The Portuguese top-flight title is out of the visitors' hands, though, and they also may have one eye on their own heavyweight battle with Benfica on Sunday, but not before a shot at club history.
Sporting have never won a two-legged European contest after losing the first leg by a one-goal margin at home, and they have lost 13 of their last 14 such ties following a first-leg home loss by any scoreline, only prevailing against Brondby in the 2010-11 Europa League playoffs (2-0 home defeat, 3-0 away win).
Still, Sporting should smell blood against a waning Arsenal side on Wednesday - especially given how they put Raya through his paces in Portugal - and few Gunners fans will need reminding of the visitors' penalty-shootout triumph in the 2022-23 Europa League last 16.
ARSENAL
Out: Mikel Merino (foot)
Doubtful: Bukayo Saka (knock), Jurrien Timber (groin), Martin Odegaard (knee), Riccardo Calafiori (knock), Declan Rice (unspecified)
Predicted XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Norgaard, Rice; Madueke, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres.
SPORTING
Out: Luis Guilherme (ankle), Fotis Ioannidis (ligament), Ivan Fresneda (unspecified)
Predicted XI: Silva; Vagiannidis, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Braganca, Hjulmand; Catamo, Trincao, Goncalves; Suarez
