Arsenal are set to face Sporting CP in a tricky Champions League away tie, which could have implications on the rest of the league phase.
Mikel Arteta’s side won two of their first four Champions League matches this season, but Arsenal lost 1-0 to Inter Milan at San Siro in their last European outing.
Sporting will provide tough opposition for the Gunners, and Arteta will be wary of Arsenal-linked striker Viktor Gyokeres.
However, another Sporting player also has a connection to Arsenal, as midfielder Morten Hjulmand will certainly be one to watch in the tie at Estadio Jose Alvalade, but just who is he?
Who is Morten Hjulmand?
Morten Hjulmand is a 25-year-old footballer who plays in midfield for Sporting CP, having joined the Portuguese side from Lecce in 2023.
The midfielder is a Denmark International and scored a long-range effort against England at Euro 2024.
Hjulmand has made 66 appearances for the Liga NOS giants, scoring six times and providing five assists in this time, and was part of Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP squad which won the league last season.
Morten Hjulmand’s Arsenal tattoo
Hjulmand’s surprise connection with Arsenal comes as he is actually a childhood fan of the club, who even has an Arsenal tattoo on his shoulder.
“My dad supported Arsenal and we watched games together when we were younger,” Hjulmand previously stated via The Sun, who also claimed that the midfielder idolised Patrick Vieira growing up.
Hjulmand’s tattoo is of the modern-day Arsenal crest, and is located on his left shoulder.
Granit Xhaka slammed Morten Hjulmand
Former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka is now flying at Bayer Leverkusen, but should his side encounter Sporting CP this season, he will relish the chance of meeting Hjulmand on the pitch again.
There is bad blood between the midfielders after the pair clashed during an International game between Switzerland and Denmark in March 2024.
Xhaka went to ground, earning a free-kick, but Hjulmand attempted to kick the ball from under his body, which sparked the former Arsenal captain into a fury.
“It was a clear free kick and I have the ball. He kicks me. It’s about respect,” Xhaka stated of Hjulmand after the game.
“My opinion is that you don’t do that in modern football. Not in a friendly match, but not in a qualifying match either.”
Xhaka is clearly not a fan of Hjulmand, and he may dislike him even more if he damages Arsenal’s Champions League hopes.
Martin Hjulmand set for Arsenal Champions League face-off with Sporting CP
Arsenal’s clash with Sporting CP will see Hjulmand line up against his boyhood club for the first time in Lisbon, but he will remain strictly professional.
Sporting’s thrashing of Manchester City has helped then reach second place in the Champions League table, and Hjulmand will hope his side can inflict similar pain on Arsenal.
Arsenal are currently in 12th place, meaning that as it stands, they will need to go through an extra playoff round to reach the Champions League knockout stages, and they have gone over a year without a European away victory.
A win for Sporting would go far in terms of their European ambitions, whilst it would also place more pressure on Arsenal to win their final three league phase games to finish as high as possible.
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