Preview: Porto vs. Sporting Lisbon – prediction, team news, lineups

The Estadio do Dragao is the scene of an exciting duel between the heavyweights in the Portuguese Primeira Liga postage horns with lock Sporty Lisbon on Saturday.

Reuben AmorimThe men will be desperate to overtake their league rivals at the weekend after failing to win in five of the sides’ last five meetings since January 2021.

game preview

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Porto continued their perfect start to their Primeira Liga title defense as they clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win over a strong Vizela side at the Estadio do Vizela last Sunday.

Spanish defender Ivan Markano scored for the visitors when he scored in the 90th minute to shatter the hearts of the Vizelenses, who were minutes away from ending their three-game losing streak against the reigning champions.

Before that, Porto started the 2022/23 campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Tondela on 30 July, claiming a record-breaking 23rd Portuguese Supertaca title before beating Maritimo comfortably 5-1 in the league opener 6th of August.

Sergio ConceicaoThe men, who clinched a third league title in the last five years with 91 points from 34 games last season, have now won every one of their last 10 games in all competitions, dating back to April’s 1-0 defeat by Braga .

Your next task is to face a Sporting Lisbon side who have yet to prevail in the last five meetings between the sides, losing twice and holding three draws since a 2-1 win in January 2021.

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Amorim’s side kicked off their season in the Primeira Liga when they clinched a comfortable 3-0 win over newly promoted Rio Ave last Saturday

In a one-sided affair at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Portuguese striker Pedro Goncalves found the back of the net on both sides Matheus Nunes‘s goal in the 67th minute gave the Leos their first win of the season.

Previously, Sporting Lisbon had endured an underwhelming pre-season, in which they managed just one win in their five friendlies before managing a 3-3 draw with Braga in the league opener on August 7.

The 2019-20 champions start the weekend on a solid run of home results in the Primeira Liga, notching up an impressive seven wins and three draws in their 10 games since the start of the year.

Next up is the grand challenge of taking on a wild Porto side who have won every one of their last 11 home games in all competitions, starting with March’s 1-0 defeat by Lyon in the Europa League.

Porto Primeira League Form:

Postage form (all competitions):

Form of Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga:

Form of Sporting Lisbon (all competitions):

Team News

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Late finless issues aside, Porto go into the weekend in immaculate health and with no worries about a suspension, giving Amorim the luxury of a full squad at his disposal.

Despite Conceicao fighting for all three points in his most recent game against Vizela, we expect Conceicao to start with an unchanged starting XI on Saturday Joao Mario, Pepe, Mark and Zaidu Sanusi form the back line.

At the opposite end of the parking lot Mehdi Taremi, Evanilson and Danny Lader should combine again while Pepe, Matheus Uribe and Marko Grujic should keep their role in the center of the park.

As for Sporting Lisbon, 23-year-old midfielder Daniel Braganca is out of contention for this weekend’s clash after sustaining an ACL injury in May.

Portuguese striker Paulinho is also a question for the visitors after they had to sit out the 3-0 win over Rio Ave last time out with a minor injury.

Japan international Hidemasa Morita will be pushing for a regular role, replacing midfield entertainer Nunes, who recently joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

With three goals in their first two games, Gonvalves has been flying off the blocks this season and the 24-year-old will certainly be one to watch.

Porto possible starting line-up:
costa; Mario, Pepe, Marcano, Sanusi; Otavio, Uribe, Grujic; Lader, Evanilson, Taremi

Sporting Lisbon possible starting line-up:
Adan, Coates, Inácio, Neto; porro, morita, ugarte, rice; Trincao, Goncalves, Edwards

We say: Porto 2:1 Sporting Lisbon

Two of the biggest teams in the Portuguese division meet on Saturday, making for an exciting watch. The reigning champions come into the game in excellent form, winning each of their last 10 games in all competitions. While we expect the Leos to fight back, we expect Porto to come out on top as we ride the wave of support from the home crowd.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, goal scores and more for this game, please click here.

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