Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
Sporting CP
FC Porto
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On Tuesday, January 7, an incredibly intriguing Portuguese League Cup match between Sporting and Porto will take place. The game kicks off at 20:45 CET, and I’m here to provide a betting suggestion for this exciting encounter.
Sporting vs Porto: Match facts and head-to-head
- Sporting are unbeaten in their last five matches, with two draws and three wins.
- Porto’s unbeaten streak extends to eight consecutive games.
- Sporting have won their last three home matches. Meanwhile, Porto are unbeaten in their last three away games, although two ended in draws.
- Porto have kept four consecutive clean sheets and have shut out their opponents in five of their last six matches.
- Both teams are high-scoring: Sporting score over 2.5 goals in 70% of their matches, and Porto in 64%.
- Porto have won 60% of their matches this season while keeping a clean sheet.
- This season, Sporting and Porto have already faced each other, with Sporting claiming a 2-0 victory. In their last five meetings, Sporting and Porto have each won twice, with one draw.
Sporting vs Porto: Match preview
Sporting began this season in outstanding form. However, major changes unfolded in November when head coach Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United, and his successor failed to deliver, leading to four consecutive losses. This poor form triggered another managerial change midseason. The new coach debuted with a hard-fought League Cup win in extra time, 2-1. In their last three matches, Sporting remain unbeaten, though they’ve drawn twice. They still lead the league table with 41 points from 17 rounds, but their closest pursuer has a game in hand.
That pursuer is Porto. The Dragons have accumulated 40 points in 16 Liga Portugal matches and boast the league's best defense, conceding only nine goals. Porto have won their last four matches without conceding and kept clean sheets in five of their last six games. Unlike Sporting, Porto's coaching situation is stable. They began their League Cup campaign with a confident 2-0 win over Moreirense. Notably, Porto won this title in the 2022/23 season, defeating Sporting 2-0 in the final.
Probable lineups
- Sporting: Israel; Quaresma, Diomande, St. Juste, Matheus; Catamo, Morita, Hjulmand, Coates; Trincão, Gyökeres
- Porto: Costa; Fernandez, Perez, Otavio, Galeno; Eustáquio, Gonzalez; Franco, Mora, Pepe; Aguehova
Prediction
The match between Sporting and Porto promises to be thrilling. In their last five encounters, at least two goals were scored in each game. Despite being a cup tie, I expect this match to be high-scoring. My prediction is for the total match goals to exceed 2.5, with odds of 1.85.
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