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Sporting are back in Portuguese Primeira Liga action this weekend as they travel to Tondela on Saturday.
The reigning champions find themselves trailing arch-rivals Porto by six points at the moment and need to win every upcoming game to keep their title hopes alive. They are on a four-game winning streak in the league and overcame Pacos Ferreira 2-0 in their previous outing.
Tondela have lost more games (17) than any other side in the league and every remaining game is crucial for them as they struggle to retain their top-flight status.
Tondela vs Sporting Head-to-Head
The two sides have met 13 times across all competitions so far. As expected, the visiting side have been the better team in this fixture, recording eight wins against their northern rivals.
The hosts have just two wins to their name while three games have ended in draws. Leões are on a four-game winning run against the hosts.
The reverse fixture at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in November ended in a 2-0 win for the then-hosts.
Tondela form guide (all competitions): W-D-L-D-W
Sporting form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-D-W
Tondela vs Sporting Team News
Tondela
Naoufel Khacef and Jota Gonçalves are the two casualties for Auriverdes. Eduardo Quaresma is ineligible to play against his parent club while Simone Muratore is out with health problems. Philip Tear has played just one game this season and is expected to sit this one out.
Injuries: Jota Goncalves, Naoufel Khacef, Simone Muratore
Doubtful: Philip Tear
Suspension: None
Unavailable: Eduardo Quaresma
Sporting
João Palhinha and Nuno Santos are suspended for the game and will not travel to Tondela with the squad. Palhinha will serve a one-game suspension due to the accumulation of yellow cards, while Santos has been handed a ban by the Disciplinary Council for his actions in the Taca de Liga final.
There are no injury concerns for the visiting side.
Injuries: None
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: João Palhinha, Nuno Santos
Tondela vs Sporting Predicted XI
Tondela Predicted XI (3-5-2): Pedro Trigueira (GK); Modibo Sagnan, Marcelo Santos, Jose Hernando; Neto Borges, Tiago Dantas, Salvador Agra, Pedro Augusto, Bebeto; Daniel Dos Anjos, Rafael Barbosa
Sporting CP Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Antonio Adan (GK); Goncalo Inacio, Sebastian Coates, Zouhair Feddal; Pedro Porro, Daniel Braganca, Manuel Ugarte, Ruben Vinagre; Pablo Sarabia, Pedro Gonçalves; Islam Slimani
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Tondela vs Sporting Prediction
The hosts have avoided a loss in their last two home games, but are winless in the league at home since November. They have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding 55 times in 28 games, roughly two per game.
Sporting, on the other hand, boast the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 17 goals so far. They have been solid throughout the campaign and should be able to secure a narrow win here.
Prediction: Tondela 1-2 Sporting
