Sporting Lisbonvs.Portimonense

The Alvinegros, on the other hand, find themselves at the opposite end of the table and will head into the weekend looking to pick up a potentially-vital victory in their battle to beat the drop.

Match preview

Sporting Lisbon showed the resilience of champions as they scored twice in the final three minutes of the game to force a thrilling 2-2 draw against rivals Porto at the Estadio do Dragao last Sunday.

First-half goals from Evanilson and Pepe set Porto on their way to a 20th league victory of the season but in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench and netted a late two-minute brace to force a share of the spoils.

With that result, the Leoes are now unbeaten in eight consecutive games since losing 2-1 to Atalanta BC in the Europa League in March — claiming two draws and six wins — a run which has also seen them reach the Taca de Portugal final, where they will face Porto on May 26.

Sporting Lisbon have also gone 18 back-to-back Primeira Liga matches without defeat, picking up an impressive 16 wins and two draws since December's narrow 3-2 defeat against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.

With 81 points from 31 matches, Ruben Amorim's men currently hold a five-point lead at the top of the league standings and could be named champions should they claim all three points this weekend and second-placed Benfica fail to beat Famalicao.

Portimonense, meanwhile, were sent crashing back to earth in their push away from the relegation zone last weekend as they suffered a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Moreirense.

Following a goalless first half at Estadio Municipal de Portimao, Brazilian defender Maracas broke the deadlock in the 78th minute to put the visitors in front before Joao Camacho made sure of the result with a 94th-minute strike.

Prior to that, Portimonense were on a three-match unbeaten run, claiming a 3-2 victory over Chaves on April 7 before playing out successive stalemates against Casa Pia and Famalicao in their subsequent two matches.

Paulo Sergio's men have now lost 17 of their 31 Primeira Liga matches while picking up seven wins and seven draws to collect 28 points and sit in the relegation playoff spot, just one point behind 15th-placed Estrela Amadora in safety.

While Portimonense will be looking to return to winning ways and move out of the danger zone, they face the stern challenge of taking on a Sporting Lisbon side who are unbeaten in 17 of their last 19 meetings, claiming 15 wins and two draws since December 2010.

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:

W

W

W

W

W

D

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

W

D

Portimonense Primeira Liga form:

L

L

W

D

D

L

Team News

Sporting Lisbon will have to cope without English winger Marcus Edwards, who is currently suspended after picking up a straight red card against Porto last weekend.

On the injury front, Amorim will be unable to name the duo of defender Matheus Reis and first-choice goalkeeper Antonio Ada, who have both been sidelined through thigh injuries.

Gyokeres continued his red-hot form in front of goal as he scored twice off the bench against Porto last time out and the 25-year-old should return to the starting XI this weekend.

Meanwhile, Portimonense will have to cope without the services of forward Zinho, who has been ruled out since coming off injured against Arouca back in February.

Portuguese defender Goncalo Costa will also play no part in Saturday's game due to a one-match suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Moreirense last time out.

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Israel, St. Juste, Diomande, Coates; Catamo, Hjulmand, Braganca, Inacio; Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves

Portimonense possible starting lineup:

Nakamura; Formiga, Pedrao, Alemao, Relvas; Fukui, Carlinhos, Ventura; Luan, Monteiro, Varela

We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Portimonense

While Portimonense will be looking to return to winning ways, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a spirited Sporting Lisbon side who are currently firing on all cylinders. We predict that Amorim's side will pick up where they left off against Porto and return to winning ways in front of their home supporters.

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