Sporting Lisbon aim to maintain a blistering run as Estrela Amadora visit Estadio Jose Alvalade on Sunday for matchday 12 of the Primeira Liga.
The Lions have now won eight of their last outings across all competitions following Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League, while the visitors kept their feet warm during the international break with a penalty triumph in a friendly at Real Valladolid.
Match preview
Wednesday’s contest brought a landmark moment for Sporting’s teenage revelation, Geovany Quenda, who became the youngest Portuguese player to reach 15 Champions League appearances, and that achievement unfolded in excellent fashion.
Bagging a goal and an assist on the night, the Chelsea-bound winger fired home the opener in the 24th minute – shortly before Luis Suarez added the second – and later teed up Francisco Trincao for the third in the 70th, lifting the Lions to eighth in the league phase.
Sporting have now recorded five consecutive home wins across all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in the latest three, including a routine 3-0 triumph over lower-league side Marinhense in the Portuguese Cup at the weekend.
As such, manager Rui Borges will be confident in his team’s ability to stretch a three-game winning run in the league on Sunday, their latest coming in a 2-1 victory at Santa Clara, where a stoppage-time header from captain Morten Hjulmand secured maximum points for the 10-man visitors, who had lost Maxi Araujo to a red card just three minutes earlier.
Eleven games into the top-flight season, Sporting have put up quite a strong title defence, with the reigning champions sitting second in the Primeira Liga standings after collecting 28 points from nine wins, one draw and a solitary loss to leaders Porto, who remain three points ahead.
Sunday’s fixture not only offers the chance to tighten the gap or possibly move to the summit but also gives the Lions another springboard of momentum heading into next Friday’s Lisbon Derby against rivals Benfica.
© Imago / Gil Peres
This encounter carries its own weight for Estrela, who are aiming to string together three unbeaten top-flight outings for the first time this season after following a dramatic win at Casa Pia with a 1-1 draw against Nacional just before the break.
Hattrick hero in that eight-goal thriller in Lisbon, Sidny Lopes Cabral found the net for a second successive match, restoring parity from the spot in the 62nd minute as the Tricolores settled for a share of the spoils with their Madeiran visitors.
Estrela have now accumulated 11 points from two wins, five draws and four defeats to sit 12th in the standings, and with only a two-point cushion above the relegation playoff spot, a rare result this weekend could prove significant in keeping daylight between the Amadorans and the red zone.
Joao Nuno’s men have avoided defeat in four of six away matches in the league this season (W1, D3), though escaping Jose Alvalade with something tangible remains a daunting task for a side that has lost each of the last 10 league meetings between the teams, including an 8-1 aggregate scoreline across both fixtures last term.
Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:
Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):
Estrela Amadora Primeira Liga form:
Estrela Amadora form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago / Sports Press Photo
Pedro Goncalves has completed a return to the grass, although Sunday’s fixture may arrive too soon for the Sporting winger, whose availability is expected to come for the Lisbon Derby next week.
Fotis Ioannidis remains unavailable, so Luis Suarez is almost certain to lead the line once again as the forward looks to add to his eight league goals this season.
Other absentees include centre-back Zeno Debast, midfielder Daniel Braganca and left-back Nuno Santos, as all players continue their respective recovery journeys from injury.
Araujo should re-enter the domestic fold after serving a suspension in the Taca de Portugal outing against Marinhense, so a similar lineup to the Champions League match in midweek seems likely.
Jefferson Encada was forced off just 18 minutes into the previous league encounter, making the wing-back doubtful for this weekend, and Guilherme Montoia could therefore occupy the left side given the limited options.
Sidny Cabral may operate on the opposite flank, while Joao Nuno’s three-man defence could feature Luan Patrick, Bernardo Schappo and Atanas Chernev.
Paulo Moreira and Oumar Ngom look set to anchor the midfield, with either Robinho or Jovane Cabral likely to join them, while Kikas and Abraham Marcus could lead the line as a two-man pairing.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Silva; Araujo, Inacio, Diomande, Fresneda; Simoes, Hjulmand; Catamo, Trincao, Quenda; Suarez
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Ribeiro; Chernev, Patrick, Schappo; Montoia, Moreira, Ngom, Robinho, S Cabral; Kikas, Marcus
We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Estrela Amadora
Although Estrela arrive unbeaten in two league outings, facing Sporting at Jose Alvalade appears too stern a hurdle for that resilience, and this one leans towards another comfortable victory for the Lions, whose three league wins in five home games this season have come with multiple margins and clean sheets.
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