Top of the league takes on bottom of the league on Tuesday evening as Boavista welcome Sporting Lisbon to the Estadio do Bessa in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
The visitors will be full of confidence following their League Cup victory over the weekend and will want to maintain their four-point lead at the top of the table.
Match preview
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Boavista are marooned at the foot of the Primeira Liga standings after picking up just 11 points from their opening 14 league matches.
Jesualdo Ferreira's men have only won one league game throughout 2020-21, a surprise 3-0 victory over Benfica back in November.
However, Os Axadrezados have failed to build on that impressive result, collecting just five points from their following eight outings.
It is at the back where Boavista's troubles have occurred this season. They have the second-worst defensive record in the division having conceded 24 goals to date, largely thanks to a 5-0 loss to Porto and a 4-1 defeat by Braga.
If Ferreira's side want to maintain their top-flight status for another year, then they will have to address their defensive woes sooner rather than later, but starting in midweek may be beyond them considering they are coming up against one of the best attacks in the country.
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The last time Sporting were crowned Portuguese champions was in 2002. However, under the tutelage of Ruben Amorim, it seems as though their long wait for another Primeira Liga title could be coming to an end.
Amorim is only in his second managerial role, but the 35-year-old head coach has impressed in the early stages of his new career.
The former midfield man has guided the Verde e Brancos to the top of the table after winning 11 and drawing three of their first 14 league games.
A 1-0 victory over Braga in the League Cup final over the weekend saw silverware return to the Estadio Jose Alvalade for the first time since 2019 and will fill the capital club with belief that 2020-21 can be the season that they finally break Benfica and Porto's domestic dominance.
Only a win will do for Amorim's men against the division's basement side as the title race starts to take shape in Portugal.
Boavista Primeira Liga form: DDLDDL
Boavista form (all competitions): LDLDDL
Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form: DWWWWD
Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions): WWLDWW
Team News
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Ferreira will be unable to call upon the services of 21-year-old midfielder Miguel Reisinho after the former Portugal Under-20 international ruptured his cruciate ligament in November.
Centre-back pair Chidozie Awaziem and Cristian Devenish are both suspended for the visit of the league leaders, meaning former AC Milan and Valencia defender Adil Rami is likely to make his sixth start of the campaign.
Several Portuguese clubs have been affected by a coronavirus outbreak, and Sporting are one of those sides.
Right-winger Tabata is having to self-isolate after returning a positive COVID-19 test result and is joined on the sidelines by Luiz Phellype, who continues to suffer from a cruciate ligament injury.
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Leonardo; Mangas, Rami, Porozo, Cannon; Santos, Garcia, Paulinho; Elis, Gomes, Sauer
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Inacio, Coates, Feddal; Porro, Mario, Palhinha, Mendes; Goncalves, Cabral; Tomas
We say: Boavista 0-3 Sporting Lisbon
Sporting are chasing their first league title in 19 years and are looking relentless in their pursuit. The disparity between the two teams is vast, and we expect Sporting to run out comfortable winners in midweek.
Top betting tip
George Cannon
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sporting Lisbon win with a probability of 64.16%. A draw had a probability of 22.2% and a win for Boavista had a probability of 13.69%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sporting Lisbon win was 0-1 with a probability of 14.83%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (13.42%) and 1-2 (9.29%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.26%), while for a Boavista win it was 1-0 (5.67%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 13.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sporting Lisbon would win this match.
