Porto v Sporting Lisbon Betting Tips [20 August 2022]
Football - Liga Portugal
20 August 2022 14:30
The match
The third matchday of the Portuguese Primeira Liga sees an early league title six-pointer between defending champions FC Porto and 2020/21 champions Sporting CP at the Estadio do Dragao. The visiting Sporting three times squandered a lead in a highly entertaining 3-3 away draw to Braga to open the season before bouncing back with a 3-0 home win over Rio Ave in their most recent match. They come up against a Porto side off to a perfect six points from two matches after a 5-1 home win and 1-0 away win against Maritimo and Vizela, respectively. The wins now make it six straight for Porto including the preseason and 10 straight dating back to last season. All eyes will be on Portugal's second-largest city with both teams looking to lay down an early marker as to their intentions for the league title.
There’s been some shuffling around of the Sporting CP squad for the new season which might be a reason for their slightly inconsistent start to the new season. The Lions lost imposing midfielder Joao Palinha to Fulham earlier in the window and have just recently sold the industrious Matheus Nunes to Wolves. This was manager Ruben Amormin’s preferred midfield pair in his 3-4-3 formation and an adjustment period is likely to be expected. Things aren’t made any easier for Amorim’s side with the absence of target man Paulinho as last season’s double-digit goalscoerer continues to recover from injury. That isn’t to say Porto aren’t dealing with changes as well, with the young duo of Fabio Vieira and Vitinha both departing in the summer to Arsenal and PSG, respectively. The hosts labored to the three points in their 1-0 win over Vizea the last time out but have what it takes to respond strongly here.
Key Statistics
- FC Porto is unbeaten in the last five meetings with Sporting, with the last two ending in victories for the defending champions.
- Four of Porto’s last five matches have finished with over 2.5 goals.
- Six of sporting’s last seven matches have finished with both teams scoring.
- Five of the last seven matches between these two teams have ended with both teams finding the net.
The bet of our experts
We’re going to back Porto to get the win in this match. The hosts take the better momentum of the two sides into this game with their lengthy winning streak while Sporting has only managed two wins from seven matches including the preseason. The loss of Nunes is a tough blow ahead of such an important match as the Brazilian was such an important cog in Amorim’s system. It might take some time for the side to adapt without him which unfortunately couldn't come at a worse time for the visitors. Look for Porto to keep their winning run going with a 2-1 victory here.
