Sporting Lisbon vs Tondela - prediction, team news, lineups

With their Primeira Liga rubric hopes connected the cusp of going down the drain, Sporting Lisbon are backmost successful enactment connected Wednesday erstwhile they spell caput to caput with bottom-dwellers Tondela astatine the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

While the minimum people for the Leoes volition beryllium to unafraid automatic qualification to the Champions League, Tondela find themselves scrambling for information astatine the incorrect extremity of the array and volition beryllium looking to kickstart their surge from the information zone.

Match preview

Having gone unbeaten successful 11 of their 12 matches betwixt January 16 and April 3, Sporting Lisbon person tally retired of steam successful crunch time, with the Leoes failing to triumph 4 of their astir caller six games, a tally which has seen their play instrumentality a crook for the worse.

Despite their valiant display, Rui Borges’s men were dumped retired of the Champions League a fortnight agone courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate decision against Premier League broadside Arsenal, bringing an extremity to their hunt for a archetypal European rubric since clinching the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup backmost successful 1964.

Back home, portion Sporting Lisbon held their ain to spot retired a 1-0 connected aggregate triumph implicit Porto connected April 22 and scope the last of the Taca de Portugal, a tally of 1 constituent from their astir caller 2 Primeira Liga matches has each but ended their rubric hopes.

Sporting Lisbon’s 24-game unbeaten streak successful the league came to an extremity connected April 19, erstwhile they fell to a 2-1 decision astatine the hands of rivals Benfica successful the heated Derby de Lisboa, earlier playing retired a disappointing 1-1 stalemate with rock-bottom AVS past Sunday.

Following a goalless first-half astatine the Estadio bash CD das Aves, Rafael Nel broke the deadlock 2 minutes aft the interruption to enactment the visitors connected people to a much-needed victory, but Pedro Lima deed backmost for AVS from the punishment spot successful the 66th infinitesimal to unit a stock of the spoils.

This drop-off successful signifier has seen Borges’s broadside autumn into 3rd spot successful the Primeira Liga standings, 10 points disconnected league leaders Porto and 3 down second-placed Benfica successful the 2nd automatic Champions League qualifying spot, albeit with 1 crippled successful hand.

Not lone indispensable Sporting Lisbon present a cleanable tally successful their last 4 matches, but they volition besides request favourable results successful the different league fixtures if they are to look champions and successfully support the rubric for a 2nd consecutive season.

At the other extremity of the table, Tondela cognize thing little than a affirmative effect astatine the Estadio Jose Alvalade could each but extremity their endurance hopes arsenic they caput into the last 4 games successful the automatic relegation zone.

The Gold and Green were near empty-handed yet again past Saturday arsenic they fell to a 2-0 decision against a rejuvenated Nacional side erstwhile the 2 teams squared disconnected astatine the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

One week connected from a 2-0 nonaccomplishment against Porto astatine the Estadio bash Dragoes, Tondela recovered themselves trailing erstwhile again erstwhile Jesus Ramirez opened the scoring successful the 22nd infinitesimal to enactment Nacional successful front, earlier Brayan Medina netted a 31st-minute ain extremity to treble the visitors’ lead.

Goncalo Feio’s men person failed to sensation triumph successful their astir caller 7 matches, losing 4 and claiming 3 draws, and person managed conscionable 1 triumph successful their 14 games since kicking disconnected the twelvemonth with a 3-1 location triumph implicit Arouca connected January 3.

Having gained promotion from the Segunda Liga past word to extremity a three-year lack from the apical flight, Tondela find themselves successful superior hazard of going backmost down, arsenic they beryllium 17th successful the Primeira Liga array with 21 points from 30 games, 7 points distant from safety, albeit with 1 crippled successful hand.

While Feio's broadside volition beryllium looking to halt the rot connected Wednesday and statesman their surge from the doldrums, they look the stern situation of an opposing broadside who person won each of their past 8 encounters, a tally stretching backmost to November 2019, erstwhile they fell to a 1-0 nonaccomplishment astatine the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:

Sporting Lisbon signifier (all competitions):

Tondela Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Sporting Lisbon are dealing with an wounded situation down the last decisive agelong of the season, arsenic Ivan Fresnada (muscle), Fotis Ioannidis (knee) and Nuno Santos (hamstring) each proceed their spells connected the sidelines.

Teenage midfielder Joao Simoes precocious suffered a metatarsal fracture and is acceptable to beryllium ruled retired until June, portion the cardinal duo of Morten Hjulmand and defender Goncalo Inacio stay wounded doubts, having missed the crippled against AVS past clip out.

As for Tondela, Feio volition beryllium incapable to sanction 26-year-old defender Tiago Manso, who is acceptable to service a one-game suspension aft crossing the yellowish paper threshold with his booking against Nacional astatine the weekend.

On the wounded front, Rodrigo Conceicao was forced disconnected injured midway done the archetypal fractional against Nacional and the Portuguese defender is besides retired of contention for the travel to the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

He is joined connected the club’s wounded array by Cicero, who has been retired of enactment since sustaining a musculus wounded backmost successful March, portion Spanish midfielder Xabier Huarte continues his spell connected the sidelines since coming disconnected injured successful March.

Sporting Lisbon imaginable starting lineup:

Silva; Quaresma, Diomande, Debast, Araujo; Kochorashvili, Morita, Catamo; Trincao, Goncalves, Suarez

Tondela imaginable starting lineup:

Bernardo; Maviram, Medina, Silva, Bebeto; Van der Heide, Rodriguez, Hodge; Ouattara, Lopes, Siebatcheu

We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Tondela

Both Sporting Lisbon and Tondela request the triumph connected Wednesday, with the Leoes looking to support their slim rubric hopes live portion the visitors are aiming to ascent retired of danger, and this makes for an breathtaking conflict astatine the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Despite their wounded woes, Sporting Lisbon inactive boast a superior and much experienced squad connected paper, and fixed their dominance successful this fixture, we are backing them to travel distant with each 3 points unscathed.

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