Sporting Lisbon vs LASK Linz - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to support their cleanable commencement to the Champions League campaign, Sporting Lisbon invited debutants LASK Linz to Estadio Jose Alvalade for circular 3 of the league phase.

The Portuguese hosts person won some of their opening 2 fixtures successful this season's European competition, leaving them sixth successful the 36-team table, portion the Austrian visitors beryllium 33rd aft failing to cod immoderate points from their opening 2 matches.

Match preview

Sporting's 13th quality successful the Champions League proper, and their 5th successful six seasons, could hardly person started immoderate better, arsenic Rui Borges's squad followed up a convincing opening triumph implicit Galatasaray with a 2-0 triumph distant to Lens past week.

Unlike their matchday-one triumph implicit the Turkish visitors, who took an aboriginal pb astatine Jose Alvalade, the Lions made a beardown commencement astatine Stade Bollaert-Delelis, with Luis Suarez uncovering the nett successful the 22nd infinitesimal earlier Issa Doumbia enactment the crippled beyond scope successful the 2nd half.

As a result, the Lions person present won each of their past 4 league-phase matches, having besides beaten Paris Saint-Germain and Athletic Bilbao connected matchdays 7 and 8 of past season's Champions League campaign, successful which they finished seventh earlier exiting successful the quarter-finals pursuing decision to Arsenal.

Wednesday's brushwood presents Sporting with different accidental to fortify their bid for a 2nd consecutive automatic qualification spot, peculiarly arsenic they person won each of their past 5 location matches successful the league signifier and participate this fixture good rested.

The Lions were not progressive successful home enactment implicit the weekend, with nary Portuguese top-flight lucifer taking place, meaning they stay 3rd successful the Primeira Liga table, portion they person besides avoided decision successful each 10 of their matches crossed competitions this play (W7, D3).

Meanwhile, LASK's archetypal quality successful the main signifier of the European Cup/Champions League has provided a world check, with the Austrian outfit pursuing a constrictive opening decision astatine AEK Athens with a humbling 6-3 nonaccomplishment to Liverpool past week.

Despite the setback, caput manager Dietmar Kuhbauer could astatine slightest instrumentality encouragement from his team's spirited show successful the closing stages, arsenic they reduced a five-goal shortage aft Florian Flecker scored doubly successful speedy succession.  

Having seen his squad mean 2 goals per crippled crossed their opening 2 league-phase matches this term, the 55-year-old manager volition beryllium much acrophobic astir a leaky defence that has conceded 7 goals, with lone Slovan Bratislava (nine) shipping much successful the 2026-27 Champions League proper.

However, LASK recorded their archetypal cleanable expanse successful 8 competitory matches connected Saturday aft securing a 4-0 triumph implicit Austria Lustenau, leaving the Black-Whites 3rd successful the Bundesliga table and ending a four-match winless tally crossed competitory outings.

The Austrian visitors tin besides gully encouragement from their superior head-to-head record, having won 2 of the 3 erstwhile meetings betwixt the sides (L1), each successful the Europa League, with their 4-1 triumph connected their erstwhile sojourn to Jose Alvalade representing the lone blemish successful Sporting's past 7 location matches against Austrian clubs.
 

Sporting Lisbon Champions League form:

Sporting Lisbon signifier (all competitions):

LASK Linz Champions League form:

LASK Linz signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Sporting are expected to beryllium without Nuno Santos, who continues his betterment from a genu injury, portion Rodrigo Zalazar is besides ruled retired with a musculus problem.

Meanwhile, defender Zeno Debast remains a uncertainty aft missing past week's travel to Lens and Sunday's grooming session.

Doumbia opened his scoring relationship for the nine past clip out, and the summertime signing is expected to clasp his spot successful midfield, portion Kaique Pereira could proceed successful extremity aft an awesome show connected his debut.

Suarez has scored successful each of his 9 starts for Sporting this season, uncovering the nett 10 times successful that span, including doubly successful this season's league phase, making the Colombian the antheral to ticker successful this encounter.

As for LASK, George Bello and Moses Usor stay large doubts for Wednesday's travel to Lisbon, having some missed the past 2 outings aft being forced disconnected injured against Rapid Wien connected October 11.

Sasa Kalajdzic scored and provided an assistance for Samuel Adeniran's extremity past clip out, and the erstwhile could gain a 2nd consecutive start, portion Christoph Lang is pushing for a instrumentality to the lineup aft scoring doubly arsenic a substitute successful the aforesaid match.
 

Sporting Lisbon imaginable starting lineup:

Kaique Pereira; Fresneda, Inacio, Quaresma, Araujo; Altimira, Doumbia; Catamo, Luis Guilherme, Irankunda; Suarez

LASK Linz imaginable starting lineup:

Jungwirth; Jorgensen, Mbuyamba, Andrade, Alemao, Dibango; Bogarde, Lang, Danek; Kalajdzic, Adeniran

We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-1 LASK Linz

Sporting caput into this brushwood successful fantabulous European form, and a gathering with a LASK broadside that has struggled to find its feet successful its archetypal Champions League run looks similar an perfect accidental for the Lions to marque it 3 wins from 3 successful the league phase.
 

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