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Sporting will welcome rivals Porto to the Estádio José Alvalade in a top-of-the-table Primeira Liga clash on Monday.
Both teams have 31 points from 13 league games thus far and the hosts are in the pole position in the standings thanks to their superior goal difference (13). The hosts lost 3-2 to Vitoria Guimaraes last week. Interestingly, it was their second league defeat in three games.
They bounced back with a win in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, as Viktor Gyökeres' first-half strike and Gonçalo Inácio's second-half brace helped them to a 3-0 win over Sturm Graz.
The visitors made it three wins in a row in the league last week, as goals from Evanilson, Jose Pedro, and Pepe helped them defeat Casa Pia 3-1 at home. They registered an emphatic 5-3 win in their final group-stage match of the UEFA Champions League on Thursday over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Galeno bagged a brace and second-half goals from Mehdi Taremi, Pepe, and Francisco Conceição helped them secure a place in the round of 16 of the competition.
With just two points separating the top four sides in the Primeira Liga standings, both teams will look to avoid dropping points in this match.
Sporting vs Porto Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 246 times in all competitions across all competitions. The visitors have the upper hand in the head-to-head record, with a 91-83 lead in wins and 72 games ending in draws.
- The visitors are unbeaten in their last eight meetings against the capital club.
- Porto registered wins in their three meetings against Sporting last season, including a 5-1 win on aggregate in two league meetings and a 2-0 win in the Taca da Liga final in January.
- Sporting have lost just once at home in all competitions this season, with that loss coming against Atalanta in the Europa League. They have registered wins in their remaining 11 home games.
Sporting vs Porto Prediction
Leões have won their last seven home games in all competitions, scoring 25 times while conceding seven goals. They have lost twice in their last three league games, with one of the losses coming against arch-rivals Benfica.
Interestingly, they have just one win in their last 12 meetings against the visitors, suffering five defeats on the spin. They are winless in their last six home meetings, losing three times, and might struggle here.
Rúben Amorim is without Iván Fresneda and Jeremiah St. Juste through injuries while Geny Catamo is also unlikely to start here after picking up an ankle injury against Sturm Graz on Thursday.
Dragões have regained goalscoring form recently, scoring 12 goals in their last four games in all competitions. They have suffered just one loss in away games in the Primeira Liga since August 2022 and are strong favorites in this match.
Sérgio Conceição will not be able to count on the services of Ivan Marcano and Gabriel Veron while Pepe will undergo a late fitness test following a knock.
The meetings between the two sides are contested with great passion and this edition should also make for an interesting match. Nonetheless, considering the visitors' dominance in recent meetings against the capital club, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Sporting 1-2 Porto
Sporting vs Porto Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Porto to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Mehdi Taremi to score or assist any time - Yes
