Sports Mole previews Friday’s Primeira Liga clash between Sporting Lisbon and Alverca, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Meeting for the second time in the space of three days, Sporting Lisbon once again welcome Alverca to the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Friday as they kick off matchday 10 of the Primeira Liga.
The Lions made light work of their Ribatejo-based visitors in midweek, cruising to a 5-1 victory in the Taca da Liga, and will now aim for another convincing win to keep pace at the summit of the league table.
Match preview
Sporting’s last four outings have come in different competitions, and Rui Borges’s men have found ways to emerge victorious in all.
An extra-time triumph was required to avoid a shock exit at the hands of second-tier Pacos de Ferreira in the opening match of their Portuguese Cup defence, while overcoming Marseille in the Champions League felt like a statement of intent.
That was followed by a commanding 3-0 win over Tondela in the Primeira Liga, a result that took the reigning champions’ tally to 22 points, three off the top spot, while their latest demolition of Alverca in the Allianz Cup merely added gloss to an already impressive run.
In fairness, it has not been a bad title defence for Sporting, with the only blemishes coming in a 2-1 defeat to league leaders Porto and a 1-1 draw against Braga on Matchday eight, both at the Alvalade.
Fans of the Green and Whites will hardly lose sleep over their mixed home record, having recently brushed aside the same opponents despite not fielding their strongest lineup, while boasting the division’s best attack with 23 goals scored and just five conceded, suggests we could witness another emphatic victory on Friday.
Alverca, meanwhile, have now lost their last three matches across all competitions, a run that includes a 4-0 defeat to Gil Vicente in their most recent top-flight outing, halting a positive spell that had begun to gather momentum.
Before that loss, Custodio Castro’s men had taken nine points from a possible 12 in the league after a slow start that saw them fail to win any of their opening four, and they now sit 12th in the standings on 10 points, with 11 goals scored and 16 conceded.
A trip to the Alvalade rarely inspires optimism, and with five league defeats already in the top-flight campaign — the joint-third most in the division — taking anything away from this contest looks even bleaker for the Ribatejo club against a side that has dominated this fixture.
That midweek thrashing marked their fifth loss in six meetings across all competitions against Sporting (W1), with Alverca’s only success — a Portuguese Cup home win in 2019 — coming long after a 4-1 aggregate loss in the 2003-04 Primeira Liga season that preceded their 22-year spell in the lower divisions.
That said, the newly promoted side have avoided defeat in two of their four away outings in the top flight this season — a 2-2 draw against Estrela and a 3-1 victory over AVS — though that might hardly be enough to inspire belief in a surprise outcome on Friday night, with both results coming against sides currently in the bottom three.
Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:
Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):
Alverca Primeira Liga form:
Alverca form (all competitions):
Team News
Sporting fielded five debutants in their commanding cup victory over Alverca, with Salvador Blopa standing out as the star of the evening after netting a brace, and the youngster should get some minutes on Friday even if several regulars return to the lineup.
Fotis Ioannidis also impressed in attack, getting on the scoresheet, but Luis Suarez is expected to return to the starting XI with fresher legs and the Colombian — the top scorer in the league with seven goals — will aim to extend his tally.
Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand, Rui Silva and Francisco Trincao, among others, should all return to the fold, while Zeno Debast remains doubtful after missing the last two matches through injury.
Daniel Braganca and Nuno Santos continue their recoveries from cruciate ligament and patellar tendon injuries respectively, with both still unavailable for selection.
For Alverca, Andre Gomes is expected to return in goal, replacing Matheus Mendes, while Figueiredo should reclaim his place out wide after being rested in midweek.
The visitors will again be without centre-back Leo Chu and winger Julian Martinez, while attacker Chiquinho remains a doubt.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Silva; Araujo, Inacio, Diomande, Vagiannidis; Hjulmand, Simoes; Trincao, Pote, Quenda; Suarez
Alverca possible starting lineup:
A Gomes; Meupiyou, S Gomez, Naves; Chissumba, Abdulai, Amorim, Touaizi; Figueiredo, Marezi, Lincoln
We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-1 Alverca
Only few would bet against another comfortable Sporting victory on Friday given how the previous encounter unfolded, although this one may not be quite as one-sided, with Alverca likely to adopt a more cautious approach.
While a win for the hosts seems all but certain, the visitors could still find the net, having scored in each of their last seven competitive games on the road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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