Dusan Vlahovic equalised in the 34th minute to cancel out Maxi Araujo’s opener but the Serie A side could not make it two wins in two games under new manager Luciano Spalletti.

Sporting arrived on the back of two wins in three European outings this term, and took the lead in the 12th minute when Araujo arrowed a low strike in off the foot of the post.

The Portuguese giants almost doubled their lead two minutes later but Trincao saw his deflected effort cannon back off the crossbar.

Juventus grew into the half and Vlahovic, whose future in Turin is uncertain with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, drew a magnificent save out of Rui Silva before beating the Sporting goalkeeper with a low finish from a Khephren Thuram cross.

The Serb’s first goal from open play in 10 games spurred his side on, but Silva produced another fine stop in injury-time to deny Jonathan David.

Juventus’ five-game winless run in the Champions League – stretching back to last season – is their longest such run in the competition since going six without a win between April and November 2013.

They have three points after drawing three of their four games, while Sporting have seven points.

On matchday five, Juventus travel to Norway to face Bodo/Glimt (25 November, 20:00 GMT), while Sporting take on Club Brugge in Lisbon (26 November, 20:00 GMT).

BBC Sport reported last week a £63.5m deal was in the final stages, with Arsenal hoping it would be done for the beginning of their pre-season tour of Asia, which starts on Sunday.

However, the move for the Sweden forward has been held up because of negotiations between the clubs over add-on payments.

Gyokeres has already agreed terms and a five-year contract with the Gunners.

The 27-year-old has been in demand during the summer transfer window after scoring 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season.

BBC Sport revealed earlier this month how Arsenal had turned their attentions to Gyokeres after hitting an impasse in their bid to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.

The search for a striker has been a drawn-out process for manager Mikel Arteta, who has been desperate to add an elite centre-forward after his side scored 17 fewer goals and finished 10 points behind champions Liverpool in the Premier League last season.

The Spaniard boosted his overall attacking options with the signing of England winger Noni Madueke, 23, from Chelsea last week.

Former Brighton and Coventry striker Gyokeres has scored 97 goals in 102 matches during his two seasons in Portugal, helping Sporting lift back-to-back Primeira Liga titles.

During his time at Coventry, he was one of the most prolific strikers in the Championship.

In 116 appearances for the Sky Blues, he scored 43 goals. He was named in the Championship team of the year in 2022-23 as Coventry reached the play-off final, but were beaten on penalties by Luton Town.

That summer he moved to Portugal, signing for Sporting for about £20m.

He made his Sweden debut in 2019 against Finland and has 26 caps, scoring 15 goals.

Not just goals – what Gyokeres can bring to Arsenal

Image source: @OptaAnalyst

Image caption: Viktor Gyokeres finished the 2024-25 Primeira Liga season with 39 goals – no other player reached 20

While Portugal’s Primeira Liga is not as strong as England’s Premier League, there is no doubt Gyokeres has shown he can be lethal in the box.

His shot conversion rate of 28.4% is similar to that of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (29.2%) in his record-breaking 2022-23 season.

But though his goalscoring exploits have put the Sweden striker in such demand, Gyokeres has much more to his game.

He is known for his intelligent movement and intense work-rate, and his blend of physical strength, technical skill and tactical awareness have earned him admiring glances from clubs.

He is a provider as well as a goalscorer, with a lot of his chance creation coming from his love of running with the ball.

According to data from Opta, Gyokeres created 2.15 chances per 90 minutes last season, which translated to 1.42 goal contributions per game.

BBC Sport revealed last Thursday the Gunners had accelerated their interest in the Sweden international as their well-documented search for a new centre-forward reaches a climax.

And well-placed sources have indicated that process saw Berta fly to the Portuguese capital towards the end of last week for key discussions with Sporting counterparts over a deal that could be worth around £70m.

It is unclear if he returned to London over the weekend, but Berta’s Portugal trip provides a clear indication towards the level of Arsenal’s desire to finalise a deal quickly for Gyokeres.

An agreement over personal terms with the 27-year-old is expected to be a formality.

Meanwhile, Brentford captain Christian Norgaard is due to complete the formalities on his move to the Emirates in the coming days.

The two clubs have agreed a deal worth up to £15m for the Denmark international midfielder.

Arsenal will also decide whether to formalise a move for Chelsea attacker Noni Madueke after agreeing personal terms with the England international.

Chelsea are aware of interest in the versatile winger, 23.

As first revealed by BBC Sport on Thursday, Arsenal have had a clear focus on completing a deal for the 27-year-old in recent days and the club are now advancing in their pursuit of the forward.

Discussions over personal terms for Gyokeres and with the Lisbon club over a transfer fee are accelerating, with Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta leading negotiations.

A deal has not been finalised though, and there remains a degree of caution at Arsenal until agreements are reached.

Gyokeres has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal.

The Gunners completed the £60m signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad on Sunday.

But the movement towards a deal for Gyokeres represents a significant development in Arsenal’s summer transfer business given a new striker was the club’s main priority.

Sweden international Gyokeres, 27, has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Arsenal after scoring 97 goals in 102 matches during two seasons in Portugal.

He has a 100m euro (£85m) release clause in his contract.

It has been widely reported that, after staying at Sporting last summer, Gyokeres and Sporting agreed he could leave for 70m euros (£59m) this summer.

However, Varandas said the club’s only promise to Gyokeres was that they would not demand his full release clause.

“I can guarantee that Viktor Gyokeres will not leave for 60m euros plus 10m euros because I never promised that,” Varandas said.

“To this day Sporting has not had an offer for Gyokeres – neither today nor last season.”

Gyokeres spent three seasons with Coventry City in the Championship before joining Sporting under Ruben Amorim.

Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana was sporting director at Sporting last summer, when Gyokeres’ agent sought assurances about his leaving if a suitable offer arrived.

“One of the agent’s biggest concerns was whether we would demand the termination clause,” said Varandas.

“He wanted to guarantee certain things. And what was agreed? That Sporting would not demand a release clause now.

“For one reason: he was going to be 27 years old and no player leaves Portugal at 27 for 100m euros or 90m euros.

“In that same meeting the agent wanted to anchor the exit to a value. I said this sentence: ‘It’s not worth us setting a value because I don’t know what will happen in a year’s time. I don’t know if it will be 40m euros, 60m euros or 80m euros. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100m euros.'”

The return leg was a formality after the German side posted a comprehensive 3-0 victory in Lisbon last week with goals from Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Gross and Karim Adeyemi.

Dortmund were dominant and had the chance to break the deadlock when they won a penalty in the second half after Rui Silva’s challenge on Adeyemi, but the Sporting goalkeeper made amends by keeping out Guirassy’s spot-kick.

The hosts, who lost last season’s final to Real Madrid at Wembley, will face Aston Villa or Lille in the two-legged last-16 tie next month.

Sporting, league leaders in Portugal by two points, were a big disappointment and never looked like clawing back the deficit.

They made five changes for the return leg with their top scorer Viktor Gyokeres and winger Francisco Trincao not even in the travelling squad, while Niko Kovac named an unchanged Dortmund starting line-up.

Sporting showed little intent going forward and it took 27 minutes for the game to produce its first shot on target as Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer let fly a venomous strike from the edge of the box that was parried behind by Silva.

Guirassy, the leading scorer in this season’s Champions League with 10 goals, then fired straight at Silva, before Sabitzer sent another effort sail over the goal as a quiet first half came to a close.

The Sporting custodian was tested by Adeyemi soon after the restart and then saved spectacularly from Daniel Svensson before he stopped Guirassy’s low 58th-minute penalty.

Giovanni Reyna, fresh off the bench, then hit the post for the home side, while captain Emre Can had a close-range header ruled out for offside as new boss Kovac remained winless at home after two games.

Guirassy headed the opener on the hour mark to move level with Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski for the most goals scored in a single European Cup or Champions League campaign by a Dortmund player.

The German side had been second best before getting in front, scoring with just their second shot on target, but they grew in confidence from that moment.

Just eight minutes after later, Guinea striker Guirassy turned provider as Sporting completely switched off to allow former Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross the opportunity to finish with his thigh at the far post.

Karim Adeyemi rounded off a swift counter-attack, working a neat one-two with Julian Brandt, to put the Bundesliga club firmly in the driving seat for the second-leg.

Sporting have failed to win in five Champions League outings since Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United and it was a story of spurned chances on home soil.

Maximiliano Araujo saw a powerful strike crash back off the crossbar in the first half, while Conrad Harder, Francisco Trincao and Joao Simoes were all denied by Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Top-scorer Viktor Gyokeres was restricted to an appearance from the bench as he works his way back from injury and struggled to make much of an impact for the hosts.

It is a first win for Dortmund manager Niko Kovac in his second game at the helm.

Dortmund host Sporting in the return leg on 19 February.

The Ghana midfielder played a pivotal role as the Gunners dominated the match at the Estádio José Alvalade, showcasing his skill and control in the heart of midfield.

Reflecting on the win, Arteta was full of praise for the 30-year-old, emphasizing his consistency and ability to dictate the flow of the game.

“I think it’s one of the best performances I’ve seen from him, especially the way he’s dominated the game,” he said.

“This year he’s been so consistent as well because he always has a role. That’s a big thing; he’s a massive player for us,” he added.

Partey has featured 18 times for Arsenal across all competitions this season, with two goals to his credit, proving to be a vital cog in Arteta’s system.

As Arsenal shifts their focus to their Premier League clash against West Ham United at the London Olympic Stadium on Saturday, Partey will aim to maintain his exceptional form and contribute to another strong team performance.

Gabriel Martinelli tapped home from Jurrien Timber’s low cross as Mikel Arteta’s side went in front early on.

They doubled the lead in similar fashion, Bukayo Saka getting in behind the Sporting defence and firing the ball across the box for Kai Havertz to prod in from close range.

Gabriel scored his first Champions League goal on the stroke of half-time, powering in a header from a Declan Rice corner.

Shortly after the break Goncalo Inacio got a goal back for Sporting with a smart left-footed strike but it was a mere consolation for the hosts.

Ousmane Diomande was lucky to avoid a second yellow card when he went straight through the back of Martin Odegaard and conceded a penalty.

Saka scored the resulting spot-kick, whipping it into the bottom corner.

Mikel Merino’s fierce strike from the edge of the area was parried by home goalkeeper Franco Israel into the path of Leandro Trossard, who headed into an empty net for Arsenal’s fifth goal.

The result means Arsenal move up to seventh in the Champions League table while Sporting are a place behind them, with both sides on 10 points.

The 4-1 Champions League defeat by Sporting in Lisbon was City’s third loss in a row.

Only once during Guardiola’s reign have City lost three times in a row in a single season.

Although he rejected skipper Bernardo Silva’s post-match assertion that the club is currently in a “dark place”, Guardiola also accepted after a defeat of this size, words are largely meaningless.

However, he is not backing away from the challenge.

“We knew it would be a tough season at the start,” he said. “I like it. I love it. I want to face it and lift my players.

“I won’t give up, that’s for sure.”

Few will have sympathy with City over their current injury issues.

Guardiola’s decision to hand a first start to FA Youth Cup-winning skipper Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, a day after his 19th birthday and less than a week after his senior debut, underlined the issues he is dealing with in central defence.

Neither John Stones nor Ruben Dias made the trip, while Nathan Ake remained on the substitutes’ bench throughout.

Rico Lewis played at right-back in the absence of skipper Kyle Walker, and Kevin de Bruyne was only risked for the final six minutes.

Defensive midfielder Rodri is, of course, out for the season.

Guardiola says the current experience feels like his debut campaign in 2016-17, when City struggled for consistency and were fifth after a 4-0 defeat at Everton in January before embarking on a run of one loss in 17 league games, which eventually led them to finish in third spot.

“It happened in my first year,” he said. “Sometimes it does.

“I have to try to find an explanation but sometimes it’s just football so you have to accept it. Sport is that. Life is that. Sometimes we have bad moments but we face the reality.

“Everyone has to try to be better and we will find it. We are still alive in all competitions and we continue.”

City have another tough away trip to Brighton on Saturday.

It is not entirely clear who Guardiola will have available but he will be desperate to avoid a fourth straight reverse.

For Silva, it is a tough time.

“It’s difficult to find the reasons why what is happening to us now,” he said. “In seven and a half seasons, I don’t remember three in a row.

“We’re in a dark place. Everything looks to be going the wrong way.

“The good thing is even though we lost three games we’re in good positions in the Premier League and Champions League. We’re still fighting for everything, but we need to do better. It’s just not good enough at the minute.”

City are second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Liverpool but four clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest and sixth in the expanded Champions League table.

However, they are likely to drop outside the top eight when the second set of matches in the fourth round of fixtures are played.

Nevertheless, at least they are competing, unlike Manchester United, which Guardiola pointed out when he was asked about the prospect of coming up against Ruben Amorim when he moves in at Old Trafford next week.

“Yes, he will be United manager and we will face him two times in the Premier League and maybe the FA Cup. In the Champions League it is not possible.”

There remains confusion over whether a deal has been completed for Amorim to take over at Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday.

United board member Sir Dave Brailsford told fans “it’s done” as he arrived for Wednesday’s EFL Cup win with Leicester and posed for a photograph. This information has been corroborated by additional sources from Portugal.

However, Sporting officials are adamant there is still no official deal and talks are continuing.

Manchester United have refused to comment.

The latest talks have centred around Amorim’s release. Sporting want the 39-year-old to remain in post beyond Friday’s league encounter with Estrela.

Sporting have a key Champions League encounter with Manchester City on Tuesday and play Amorim’s former club Braga in the league on 10 November, before European top-flight football pauses for Nations League games between 11-19 November.​​​​​​​

Financial rules around Sporting mean they have to confirm to the Lisbon Stock Exchange when an agreement has been reached for him to leave.

Amorim is due to speak to the media at 13:00 before Friday’s Estrela match.

Three hours later, Ruud van Nistelrooy will conduct his first news conference since being appointed as United’s interim manager.

After the victory over Leicester, Van Nistelrooy said he was willing to continue working at the club “in any capacity”.

United have home league matches against Chelsea on Sunday and Leicester on 10 November before the international break, split by a Europa League tie with Greek side PAOK at Old Trafford on 7 November.

They head to newly promoted Ipswich, managed by former United coach Kieran McKenna, immediately after the international break.

Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt could be Amorim’s first Old Trafford opposition in the Europa League on 28 November, with a Premier League game against Everton the following weekend.

Sporting confirmed earlier on Tuesday that United had made an approach and are willing to pay Amorim’s 10m euros (£8.3m) release clause.

Speaking after his side’s 3-1 Portuguese League Cup quarter-final win against Nacional on Tuesday evening, Amorim told Sport TV: “Nothing is decided yet. I don’t know if it’s the farewell game or not.”

Then in a news conference he added: “There is interest from Manchester United, there is the payment of a contract term and when I have something more solid, I will come here and tell my position, because it will be my choice.

“While I don’t have everything decided, for one side or the other, I can’t tell much more”.

Amorim added that he will be at training on Wednesday to prepare for Friday’s league game against Estrela da Amadora.

Asked if he will be in the dugout at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s game against Chelsea on Sunday, Amorim said: “I will be here.” But when pressed added: “I don’t know.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says United would be getting a high-level coach in Amorim.

“All I can talk about is the experience of playing twice against Ruben’s Sporting Lisbon team, one or two seasons ago, and the pressure was really, really good,” the Spaniard told a news conference.

“And look this season, he is unbeaten and winning all the games in the Portuguese League and the Champions League, [they have] the same points as us. So a high manager.

“What’s going to happen I don’t know, because what happened here in my experience, doesn’t mean it works for the other ones. The manager, the team, the club, the structures, the physios, the doctors, the players, it’s many things”.

With one foot already in the next round following their emphatic win in Portugal three weeks ago, Guardiola made six changes to the side that defeated Manchester United on Sunday, handing 19-year-old CJ Egan-Riley his Champions League debut.

It was a largely uneventful night, and it took City 25 minutes to register their first shot on target, Adan having to be alert to push Phil Foden’s shot wide.

City’s best chance came five minutes before half-time when Foden released Raheem Sterling and Sporting had their goalkeeper Adan to thank for saving his attempted lob.

Gabriel Jesus had the ball in the back of the net for City a couple of minutes into the second half, but the Brazilian – who was earlier denied a penalty – was deemed to be marginally offside following a VAR check.

The game was played out like an exhibition and with just over 15 minutes to play, Guardiola used the opportunity to replace Ederson with veteran-team mate Scott Carson for his first appearance of the season.

The 36-year-old was almost immediately called into action, denying Paulinho with a fine save when the Sporting forward was through on goal.

Sterling may have won it for the reigning English champions on the night but could only slam his shot from point-blank, as City failed to score in a home Champions League match for the first time under Guardiola. It matters not as, in truth, they had already made sure of their place in the last-eight last month.

City dominated the first half and broke the deadlock through Riyad Mahrez. The assistant referee had signalled for offside after the Algerian finished off a silky City move from close-range, but the goal was given after an agonising VAR check overturned the decision.

City’s lead was doubled through an exquisite Bernardo Silva finish ten minutes later. The former Benfica star drilled a half-volley beyond Antonio Adan via the crossbar after Sporting failed to clear a corner.

Foden grabbed City’s third, marking his 150th appearance for the club with a goal as he tucked away Mahrez’s cross at the near-post.

Silva scored his second of the night to extend City’s lead to four goals on the stroke of half-time. Joao Cancelo dropped a ball into Raheem Sterling making a clever run in behind the Sporting defence, and Sterling cut it back for the arriving Silva to fire the ball beyond Adan.

The Portuguese midfielder had the ball in the back of the net for the third time five minutes into the second half after heading in a De Bruyne cross at the back post, but it was ruled out for offside.

Pep Guardiola’s side managed to find their fifth through Sterling, who bent a brilliant curling effort into the top right corner from 25 yards out.

The hosts had no reply to the Premier League leaders’ commanding display, as City held on for the clean sheet.