Sporting Lisbon vs Alverca - prediction, team news, lineups

Yet to find their ruthless champion successful the caller Primeira Liga campaign, Sporting Lisbon invited winless Alverca to Estadio Jose Alvalade this Saturday.

The Lions person picked up 4 points from their opening 2 fixtures to beryllium sixth successful the standings, portion the Ribatejo visitors person managed conscionable 1 constituent from their ain 2 matches and inhabit 13th place.

Match preview

A worrying signifier has emerged for Rui Borges's broadside successful the opening fortnight of the season, with Sporting having built commanding leads successful some matches truthful acold lone to decorativeness some games successful unsettling fashion.

The Lions were 2-0 up successful their opening fixture astatine Estrela Amadora but failed to spot retired the game, conceding doubly to settee for a point, and that taxable resurfaced successful past weekend's matchday 2 brushwood with Vitoria de Guimaraes.

A Fotis Ioannidis-inspired Sporting raced into a three-goal pb wrong the archetypal fractional of that lucifer astatine Alvalade, lone for their Guimaraes visitors to trim the deficit with 2 quick-fire goals aft the hr mark, leaving Borges's broadside to clasp connected for a nervy 3-2 victory.

Such an unconvincing commencement to the run volition interest the Lions, who are looking to enactment past season's disappointment down them aft going trophyless and finishing second, six points down Porto.

However, facing a broadside they person beaten successful each of their past 5 league meetings should connection Sporting confidence, particularly considering 4 of those victories came by multiple-goal margins, including past term's 2-0 location and 4-1 distant wins.

Meanwhile, Alverca get astatine Alvalade having shown plentifulness of defiance without uncovering overmuch reward, pursuing up an opening-day decision to defending champions Porto with a spirited gully astatine location to Estrela Amadora.

Sergio Ferreira's broadside led 2-1 done Ian Luccas and Vivaldo Semedo aft trailing to a Leandro Antonetti onslaught earlier successful the 2nd half, lone to concede an equaliser successful the 69th infinitesimal earlier Chiquinho's reddish paper moments aboriginal ended immoderate anticipation of uncovering a precocious winner. 

Alverca's existent struggles are reminiscent of their hard commencement upon returning to the apical formation past term, erstwhile they failed to triumph immoderate of their opening 4 fixtures, though the Ribatejo nine went connected to execute remarkably good and decorativeness 11th nether Custodio Castro, who departed aft the campaign.

Faced with different pugnacious distant time arsenic helium searches for his archetypal competitory triumph since taking complaint successful June, Ferreira has his enactment chopped retired to animate a broadside that has mislaid their past 4 league matches connected the roadworthy without scoring, 3 of which came past term.

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:

Alverca Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Sporting are expected to stay without Joao Simoes pursuing country connected his close foot, portion Nuno Santos continues his gradual instrumentality from a superior genu problem, but Georgios Vagiannidis should beryllium disposable for the play aft an wounded scare past clip out.

However, Borges could beryllium forced into a alteration up front, with Ioannidis nursing lower-back discomfort that leaves him a uncertainty to commencement contempt scoring a extremity and providing a brace of assists successful past weekend's triumph implicit Vitoria.

As such, past season's Primeira Liga Golden Boot victor Luis Suarez could beryllium handed his archetypal commencement of the run aft a dilatory commencement to the play that has seen Ioannidis preferred successful the fig 9 relation up of the Colombian.

Meanwhile, summertime signing Sergi Altimira scored his archetypal extremity for the nine successful past weekend's triumph and is expected to support his spot successful midfield this weekend.

Alverca volition beryllium without Chiquinho done suspension, with Marco Essimi the apt campaigner to capable his spot connected the flank, though Ikker Julian and Cedric Nuozzi are besides options.

Defender Bastien Meupiyou was forced disconnected injured past clip out, leaving his availability for Saturday's sojourn to Alvalade uncertain.

If confirmed unfit, Meupiyou volition articulation Julian Martinez and Sabit Abdulai successful the attraction room, with some players continuing semipermanent recoveries from genu injuries that person kept them retired since earlier successful the year.

Sporting Lisbon imaginable starting lineup:

Silva; Vagiannidis, Inacio, Quaresma, Fresneda; Altimira, Doumbia; Catamo, Zalazar, F Goncalves; Suarez

Alverca imaginable starting lineup:

Mendes; Baseya, Bojang, Meupiyou; Touaizi, D Gui, Ian Luccas, I James; Essimi, Figueiredo; Semedo

We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-1 Alverca

Sporting's attraction lapses person been a genuine interest done their opening 2 matches, but the prime spread betwixt the 2 squads should beryllium decisive here, particularly considering Alverca's struggles connected the road.

The Ribatejo visitors person mislaid each of their past 4 distant league matches, stretching backmost to the erstwhile season, and a controlled triumph for the Lisbon hosts looks a precise feasible outcome.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.