Ahead of frequent Premier League meetings with Ruben Amorim, Manchester City meet the soon-to-be Manchester United manager in Tuesday's Champions League league phase battle at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
The Citizens are hoping to pull themselves out of a rut following back-to-back losses against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth, the latter of which left them two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table.
In contrast, Amorim's Sporting boast a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 games in the 2024-25 Primeira Liga season, and both teams have seven points on the board from their opening three European ties of the campaign.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
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Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 4
Sporting Lisbon wins: 1
Draws: 1
Man City wins: 2
Clashing in the Europa League 10 years before reuniting in the Champions League, Man City and Sporting have crossed paths on four previous occasions, and neither side has dominated the other in the 21st century.
Indeed, City have prevailed in two of their four meetings, while Sporting have one triumph to their name, and the other contest ended level, a 0-0 Champions League last-16 second leg draw in March 2022.
However, that forgettable showdown at the Etihad - where Scott Carson made one of his only two appearances for Man City - came after the English champions had ripped Amorim's men to shreds in a 5-0 embarrassment at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Bernardo Silva was on target twice in that game, while Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling also had their names up in lights as City sailed into the quarter-finals before succumbing to Real Madrid's superiority.
That 5-0 aggregate annihilation saw City enact revenge for their inaugural two-legged showdown with Sporting, which came in the last 16 of the 2011-12 Europa League when Roberto Mancini was at the Citizens' helm.
City's trip to Portugal that year ended in misery, as they were subjected to a 1-0 defeat thanks to a solitary Xandao goal, before Matias Fernandez and Ricky van Wolfswinkel gave Sporting an early 2-0 advantage in the first half of the second leg.
Mancini's side ended up pulling off a terrific second-half turnaround to win that tie 3-2, as Sergio Aguero struck a double either side of a Mario Balotelli penalty, but Sporting still progressed to the quarter-finals on away goals.
City's 1-0 first-leg loss in that Europa League tie remains the only time that they have been beaten in a major continental match versus Portuguese opposition, winning six and drawing three of their other nine games against teams from the Iberian nation.
Previous meetings
Mar 09, 2022: Man City 0-0 Sporting Lisbon (Champions League Last 16 Second Leg)
Feb 15, 2022: Sporting Lisbon 0-5 Man City (Champions League Last 16 First Leg)
Mar 15, 2012: Man City 3-2 Sporting (Europa League Last 16 Second Leg)
Mar 08, 2012: Sporting 1-0 Man City (Europa League Last 16 First Leg)
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