Fresh off the back of dismantling Manchester City in the Champions League, Sporting Lisbon return to action in the Primeira Liga when they visit Braga on Sunday.
With his move to Manchester United imminent, Ruben Amorim will be in the Leoes' dugout for the last time this weekend as they look to secure their first win at the Estadio Braga Municipal since August 2021.
Match preview
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Braga continue to struggle for results in the Europa League as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Swedish outfit Elfsborg when the two sides met at the Boras Arena on Thursday.
Following a goalless first half, the visitors were rewarded for their dominance in the 66th minute when Timothy Ouma netted an own goal but substitute Emil Holten struck with six minutes left in the game to force a share of the spoils.
Since kicking off their European campaign with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Maccabi Tel Aviv on September 26, Braga have failed to win their subsequent three outings, losing back-to-back games against Olympiacos and Bodo/Glimt before Thursday's stalemate.
Prior to the midweek draw, Braga were on a run of three back-to-back wins, seeing off Farense and Arouca in the Primeira Liga, with a 2-1 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the quarter-finals of the Taca da Liga sandwiched between the two league outings.
Carlos Carvalhal's men, who are currently 26th in the Europa League table, now return to action in the league, where they have won four of their last five matches — with a 2-1 loss against Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on October 6 being the exception.
Having secured a fourth-placed finish last season, Braga have enjoyed a solid start to the league campaign, claiming six wins and two draws from their opening 10 matches to collect 20 points and sit fourth in the table, two points behind third-placed Benfica.
Next up for Os Arcebispos is the challenge of a Sporting Lisbon side who are unbeaten in 14 of the last 20 meetings between the two teams across all competitions, claiming 11 wins and three draws since September 2008.
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With Manchester United fans tuned in and paying close attention, Ruben Amorim passed the Pep Guardiola test with flying colours as Sporting Lisbon thrashed Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
After falling behind to Phil Foden's early opener, Viktor Gyokeres took matters into his own hands at the Estadio Jose Alvalade as he netted a hat-trick to sink the English champions and stamp his name as one of Europe's elite marksmen.
Sporting Lisbon are one of just six sides yet to suffer defeat in the Champions League this season, claiming three wins and one draw from their opening four matches to collect 10 points and sit second in the standings, just two points behind Liverpool.
Tuesday's victory was in keeping with the solid job done back home, where Sporting Lisbon are the only side with a 100% record this season, winning each of their 10 Primeira Liga matches while scoring 35 goals already and keeping seven clean sheets.
Since opening the new campaign with a 4-3 extra-time loss against rivals Porto in the Portuguese Super Cup on August 3, Amorim's side won all but one of their 16 games across all competitions, with a 1-1 draw against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on October 1 being the exception.
Sporting, who hold a three point-lead over Porto at the top of the Primeira Liga standings, have booked their spot in the semi-finals of the Taca da Liga, while seeing off Portimonense 2-1 on October 18 to reach the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal.
Team News
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Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Zalazar missed the game against Elfsborg on Thursday through a muscle injury and the 25-year-old is a major doubt for Sunday's clash.
Having recently recovered from a muscle injury, Robson Bambu was an unused substitute in midweek and the Brazilian defender could make his first appearance since August 29 on Sunday.
With Amorim set to be unveiled as the new Manchester United head coach on November 5, the 39-year-old will look to mark his Sporting Lisbon farewell on a high and sign off in style.
With his hat-trick against Manchester City, Gyokeres now has 21 goals and three assists in 17 matches this season and the Sweden international will certainly be one to keep an eye on.
On the injury front, Goncalo Inacio missed the game against Manchester City in midweek after sustaining a thigh problem against Estrela Amadora on November 1 and the 23-year-old is also out of contention for the Leoes.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Portuguese forward Nuno Santos, who is set to sit out his fourth straight game after picking up a ligament problem back in October.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Lima; Oliveira, Ferreira, Bambu, Ribeiro; Horta, Carvalho; Bruma, Moutinho, Fernandes; El Ouazzani
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Israel; Diomande, Debast, Quaresma; Quenda, Hjulmand, Braganca, Araujo; Trincao, Goncalves, Gyokeres
We say: Braga 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
While Braga will be looking to secure their seventh league win and spoil Amorim's farewell, Sporting Lisbon boasts the firepower needed to get the job done and we fancy them to maintain their 100% Primeira Liga record with another dominant display at the Estadio Braga Municipal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
