This will be the first ever knockout stage tie between teams from Norway (Bodø/Glimt) and Portugal (Sporting CP) in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and the first in any major European competition since the last 32 of the 2003-04 UEFA Cup (Rosenborg eliminated by Benfica). Bodø/Glimt have won both of their previous two games against Portuguese sides in European competition, with both of those coming in last season’s UEFA Europa League (3-2 v FC Porto and 2-1 v Braga). With wins in their last two, Sporting CP can equal their longest winning run in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (3), achieved on three previous occasions (October-November 2008, October-November 2021 and September-October 1962). Of European Cup/UEFA Champions League campaigns in which they have played 5+ matches, Sporting CP’s win percentage this season (63% - 5/8) is their highest in a single edition. Bodø/Glimt could equal the UEFA Champions League record for most consecutive games played with the same starting XI (currently on four), with Auxerre in 2002-03 the only previous side to do so in five in a row.

Source: BBC March 10, 2026 15:03 UTC