This weekend, one of the most significant events in Portuguese football unfolds as FC Porto hosts arch-rivals Sporting at the Estadio do Dragao on Sunday.
Match Preview
With only four matches left, Sporting leads the table, seven points clear of Benfica in second place and 18 points ahead of third-placed Porto.
Porto secured a 2-1 victory over Casa Pia last weekend, recording 17 shots during the match.
This win halted a three-game winless streak for Porto in the league, following defeats to Estoril and Vitoria SC, and a 2-2 draw against Famalicao.
Despite recent inconsistencies, Porto has been strong at the Estadio do Dragao, losing just one of their last 10 home league matches.
Winning 10 of their 15 Liga Portugal home games this season, Porto aims to delay Sporting’s title celebrations.
Sporting, on the other hand, comfortably won 3-0 against Vitoria SC last weekend, with former Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres scoring a brace.
Gyokeres has accumulated 38 goals and 16 assists this season, including 24 goals and 10 assists in 29 Liga Portugal appearances.
Sporting has won their last eight league games and 16 of their previous 17, with a draw against Rio Ave in February.
Overall, the Lions have won 26 of their 30 league matches this season, scoring 87 goals (2.9 goals per game).
Head-to-Head:
Sporting has won only one of their last nine meetings with Porto across all competitions, losing five of the previous six.
In December, Sporting ended a 13-game winless streak in the league against Porto, with Porto registering seven wins and six draws during that period.
Team News & Updates:
Porto is without the injured trio of Ivan Marcano (knee), Diogo Coast (muscle), and Zaidu (knee).
Sporting also has a couple of injury absentees, with Antonio Adan (thigh) and Matheus Reis (unknown) sidelined.
Prediction & Analysis:
Despite Sporting CP’s recent dominance in the league, FC Porto historically has the upper hand in their head-to-head matchups.
However, Sporting CP’s stellar form this season makes them the favorites to clinch victory.
Expect a high-scoring affair with both teams contributing to over 4.5 goals, with Sporting CP likely to emerge victorious.
- FC Porto 2-3 Sporting CP
