Sporting Lisbon v Porto Betting Tips [19 January 2021]

Fearsome rivals Sporting Lisbon and Porto will renew hostilities once again, this time in the league cup semi-final. Both teams were in league cation on Friday night. Porto arrive at the neutral venue in Leiria off the back of 1-1 draw at home to Benfica but Sporting weren’t able to take advantage and were held at home to a 1-1 draw by Rio Ave. Lisbon are currently top of the Primeira Liga with 36 points ahead of Porto who in second just four points behind them.  

Sporting were dumped out of the Taca de Portugal last weekend by Maritimo 2-0 but they still have a chance at winning a domestic double this season. Prior to last week the home side were on a six-game winning run in all competitions and were unbeaten in 15 matches. Lisbon’s defeat to Maritimo was their first domestic defeat of the campaign but with no European distractions this term they appear to be flourishing. Sporting were beaten in the Europa League qualifiers by LASK Linz on the 1st of October and since then they have been magnificent in Portugal. Sporting have conceded just nine goals in 14 league matches and hold a four-point lead at the top of the table. Two of those goals came in a 2-2 draw with Porto when these teams met in October.  

As for Porto they too are in a rich vein of form. A 1-1 draw with Benfica on Friday ended a run of 10 successive victories for the Dragons. They are still fighting on all three domestic fronts and remain in the Champions League having put together a run of 17 games unbeaten. Porto have won 15 of those matches (one in extra time) and have scored two or more goals in each of their last 10 fixtures so they will take some beating here. Away from home they have won each of their last seven games with their 4-2 win over Nacional after extra-time being their most recent game on the road.