diff --git a/beacon_node/network/src/sync/block_lookups/tests.rs b/beacon_node/network/src/sync/block_lookups/tests.rs
index 0ed624fc0d..ae9f96a348 100644
--- a/beacon_node/network/src/sync/block_lookups/tests.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/network/src/sync/block_lookups/tests.rs
@@ -1319,14 +1319,44 @@ impl TestRig {
         });
     }
 
-    fn assert_sampling_request_status(
-        &self,
-        block_root: Hash256,
-        ongoing: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-        no_peers: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-    ) {
-        self.sync_manager
-            .assert_sampling_request_status(block_root, ongoing, no_peers)
+    fn assert_sampling_request_ongoing(&self, block_root: Hash256, indices: &[ColumnIndex]) {
+        for index in indices {
+            let status = self
+                .sync_manager
+                .get_sampling_request_status(block_root, index)
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("No request state for {index}"));
+            if !matches!(status, crate::sync::peer_sampling::Status::Sampling { .. }) {
+                panic!("expected {block_root} {index} request to be on going: {status:?}");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn assert_sampling_request_nopeers(&self, block_root: Hash256, indices: &[ColumnIndex]) {
+        for index in indices {
+            let status = self
+                .sync_manager
+                .get_sampling_request_status(block_root, index)
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("No request state for {index}"));
+            if !matches!(status, crate::sync::peer_sampling::Status::NoPeers { .. }) {
+                panic!("expected {block_root} {index} request to be no peers: {status:?}");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn log_sampling_requests(&self, block_root: Hash256, indices: &[ColumnIndex]) {
+        let statuses = indices
+            .iter()
+            .map(|index| {
+                let status = self
+                    .sync_manager
+                    .get_sampling_request_status(block_root, index)
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("No request state for {index}"));
+                (index, status)
+            })
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+        self.log(&format!(
+            "Sampling request status for {block_root}: {statuses:?}"
+        ));
     }
 }
 
@@ -2099,7 +2129,7 @@ fn sampling_batch_requests() {
         .pop()
         .unwrap();
     assert_eq!(column_indexes.len(), SAMPLING_REQUIRED_SUCCESSES);
-    r.assert_sampling_request_status(block_root, &column_indexes, &vec![]);
+    r.assert_sampling_request_ongoing(block_root, &column_indexes);
 
     // Resolve the request.
     r.complete_valid_sampling_column_requests(
@@ -2127,7 +2157,7 @@ fn sampling_batch_requests_not_enough_responses_returned() {
     assert_eq!(column_indexes.len(), SAMPLING_REQUIRED_SUCCESSES);
 
     // The request status should be set to Sampling.
-    r.assert_sampling_request_status(block_root, &column_indexes, &vec![]);
+    r.assert_sampling_request_ongoing(block_root, &column_indexes);
 
     // Split the indexes to simulate the case where the supernode doesn't have the requested column.
     let (_column_indexes_supernode_does_not_have, column_indexes_to_complete) =
@@ -2145,7 +2175,8 @@ fn sampling_batch_requests_not_enough_responses_returned() {
     );
 
     // The request status should be set to NoPeers since the supernode, the only peer, returned not enough responses.
-    r.assert_sampling_request_status(block_root, &vec![], &column_indexes);
+    r.log_sampling_requests(block_root, &column_indexes);
+    r.assert_sampling_request_nopeers(block_root, &column_indexes);
 
     // The sampling request stalls.
     r.expect_empty_network();
diff --git a/beacon_node/network/src/sync/manager.rs b/beacon_node/network/src/sync/manager.rs
index a2544b82b5..ef01763d4d 100644
--- a/beacon_node/network/src/sync/manager.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/network/src/sync/manager.rs
@@ -354,14 +354,12 @@ impl<T: BeaconChainTypes> SyncManager<T> {
     }
 
     #[cfg(test)]
-    pub(crate) fn assert_sampling_request_status(
+    pub(crate) fn get_sampling_request_status(
         &self,
         block_root: Hash256,
-        ongoing: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-        no_peers: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-    ) {
-        self.sampling
-            .assert_sampling_request_status(block_root, ongoing, no_peers);
+        index: &ColumnIndex,
+    ) -> Option<super::peer_sampling::Status> {
+        self.sampling.get_request_status(block_root, index)
     }
 
     fn network_globals(&self) -> &NetworkGlobals<T::EthSpec> {
diff --git a/beacon_node/network/src/sync/peer_sampling.rs b/beacon_node/network/src/sync/peer_sampling.rs
index 086fb0ec8d..decabfd216 100644
--- a/beacon_node/network/src/sync/peer_sampling.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/network/src/sync/peer_sampling.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 use self::request::ActiveColumnSampleRequest;
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub(crate) use self::request::Status;
 use super::network_context::{
     DataColumnsByRootSingleBlockRequest, RpcResponseError, SyncNetworkContext,
 };
@@ -43,15 +45,15 @@ impl<T: BeaconChainTypes> Sampling<T> {
     }
 
     #[cfg(test)]
-    pub fn assert_sampling_request_status(
+    pub fn get_request_status(
         &self,
         block_root: Hash256,
-        ongoing: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-        no_peers: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-    ) {
+        index: &ColumnIndex,
+    ) -> Option<self::request::Status> {
         let requester = SamplingRequester::ImportedBlock(block_root);
-        let active_sampling_request = self.requests.get(&requester).unwrap();
-        active_sampling_request.assert_sampling_request_status(ongoing, no_peers);
+        self.requests
+            .get(&requester)
+            .and_then(|req| req.get_request_status(index))
     }
 
     /// Create a new sampling request for a known block
@@ -233,18 +235,8 @@ impl<T: BeaconChainTypes> ActiveSamplingRequest<T> {
     }
 
     #[cfg(test)]
-    pub fn assert_sampling_request_status(
-        &self,
-        ongoing: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-        no_peers: &Vec<ColumnIndex>,
-    ) {
-        for idx in ongoing {
-            assert!(self.column_requests.get(idx).unwrap().is_ongoing());
-        }
-
-        for idx in no_peers {
-            assert!(self.column_requests.get(idx).unwrap().is_no_peers());
-        }
+    pub fn get_request_status(&self, index: &ColumnIndex) -> Option<self::request::Status> {
+        self.column_requests.get(index).map(|req| req.status())
     }
 
     /// Insert a downloaded column into an active sampling request. Then make progress on the
@@ -584,8 +576,9 @@ mod request {
         peers_dont_have: HashSet<PeerId>,
     }
 
+    // Exposed only for testing assertions in lookup tests
     #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
-    enum Status {
+    pub(crate) enum Status {
         NoPeers,
         NotStarted,
         Sampling(PeerId),
@@ -630,8 +623,8 @@ mod request {
         }
 
         #[cfg(test)]
-        pub(crate) fn is_no_peers(&self) -> bool {
-            matches!(self.status, Status::NoPeers)
+        pub(crate) fn status(&self) -> Status {
+            self.status.clone()
         }
 
         pub(crate) fn choose_peer<T: BeaconChainTypes>(