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Sporting will welcome Sturm Graz to the Estádio José Alvalade in their final match of the UEFA Europa League group stage on Thursday.
The outcome of the match will have no impact on the Group D standings, as the hosts will finish second even after a win and the visitors cannot displace the hosts from the second place if they come out victorious.
The hosts held Atalanta to a 1-1 draw in their previous outing, as Marcus Edwards equalized in the 56th minute after Gianluca Scamacca gave Atalanta the lead in the 23rd minute. The visitors are winless in their last three games in the Europa League and suffered a 1-0 loss to Rakow Czestochowa.
The hosts suffered their first defeat after the international break on Saturday, falling to a 3-2 away loss to Vitoria Guimaraes. The visitors, on the other hand, returned to winning ways after two games on Sunday, recording a 1-0 win over Rheindorf Altach in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Sporting vs Sturm Graz Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will meet for the second time. They met in the reverse fixture in September, with the hosts recording a 2-1 win.
- Both teams have conceded six goals in five games in the competition thus far, with the hosts outscoring the visitors 7-4 in these games.
- Sporting have won 10 of their 11 home games in all competitions this season, with that loss coming to Atalanta in the Europa League in October.
- Sturm Graz have just one win in their last eight games in the Europa League, failing to score five times in that period.
- Sporting have just one win in their last six home games in the Europa League. They have suffered two defeats in that period and three games have ended in draws.
Sporting vs Sturm Graz Prediction
Leões have lost just thrice at home across all competitions in 2023. Interestingly, they have won 10 of their last 12 home games and are strong favorites. This season, they have a win and a loss in their two home games in the Europa League, scoring and conceding three goals in these games.
Jeremiah St. Juste and Iván Fresneda are confirmed absentees for the hosts through injuries. As the match is a mere formality, Rúben Amorim has called up five young players to training and might include them in the starting XI for the match.
Die Schwoazn have suffered just one defeat in their five games across all competitions, keeping three clean sheets. They have just two wins in their last 12 away games in the Europa League, failing to score seven times in these games, and might struggle here.
While the match is just a formality, both teams will look to sign off for the campaign on a positive note. Nonetheless, considering the visitors' poor away record in the Europa League and home advantage for Portuguese giants, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Sporting 2-1 Sturm Graz
Sporting vs Sturm Graz Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Sporting to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Pedro Gonçalves to score or assist any time - Yes
