Sporting Lisbon will head into Sunday's Primeira Liga clash away at Boavista with their tails up after a fruitful midweek that saw the Lions confirm their spot in the Portuguese Cup showpiece.
The Lions recorded a 2-1 victory at Rio Ave in the return leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final clash to emerge 4-1 winners on aggregate.
Match preview
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While that midweek success booked Sporting a showdown with Benfica in the final, all eyes now turn to the league as the two arch-rivals continue their neck-and-neck title race, with Rui Borges's side looking to hold their ground at the summit with victory at Boavista.
The Lions have not tasted defeat in any of their last 16 domestic matches, claiming nine wins from their most recent 10 – a run comprising six victories from seven top-flight outings.
Their most recent encounter in the Primeira Liga was a 3-1 win over Moreirense last weekend, in which Viktor Gyokeres stole the show with a clinical hat-trick that ensured they retained their place at the top of the table.
Sporting sit level on 72 points with Benfica but boast a superior goal difference thanks to their unmatched attacking return of 78 goals — a league high that proves decisive, given they have conceded the same number as their title rival (25).
Gyokeres continued his dazzling campaign by notching another goal and assist in midweek, taking his haul to 48 in 47 appearances across all competitions, and he will be looking to lead the line once more as the Lions seek to extend their flawless run against Boavista.
The reigning champions have won each of the last 10 meetings with the Axadrezados, scoring two or more goals in the most recent seven, and they now hit the road as the league's best travellers with 34 points taken from 15 away matches.
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Boavista will hope last weekend's 1-0 win over SC Farense – in Stuart Baxter's first game in charge – can serve as a launchpad for their survival push.
As a result, Os Axadrezados have now recorded victory in two of their last three outings — both of which came with clean sheets — and there is now a glimmer of belief that they could still climb out of trouble before the season's end.
Boavista remain rooted to the foot of the table with 21 points, having won just six matches all season and trailing safety by five, though they sit only three behind the relegation playoff spot — so taking something this weekend, especially against a team of Sporting's calibre, could prove valuable.
However, Os Axadrezados's woes at Estadio do Bessa tell a worrying tale, having picked up just one win from 15 league games at the ground and losing each of the last three to remain as the division's worst-performing home side.
Team News
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Vitali Lystsov is suspended after accumulating too many bookings, so Rodrigo Abascal and Sidoine Chounkwi Fogning are expected to continue at the heart of Boavista's defence.
Baxter deployed a 4-3-3 formation in his debut but is likely to deploy a more defensive setup, probably 5-4-1, to counter Sporting's attacking threat.
Joao Goncalves, Marco Ribeiro and Tomas Silva all remain sidelined through injury and will play no part on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Sporting are boosted by the return of Hidemasa Morita from injury, with the midfielder potentially featuring from the bench.
Conrad Harder is also back from suspension, offering another option up front, though he is unlikely to start, with Gyokeres set to lead the line once again as he looks to add to his 34 league goals.
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Vaclík; Ferreira, Abascal, Camara, Fogning, Agra; Diaby, Perez, Vukotic, Silva; Bozeník
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Silva; Diomande, Inacio, Quaresma; Quenda, Debast, Hjulmand, Fresneda; Pote, Gyokeres, Trincao
We say: Boavista 0-2 Sporting Lisbon
Last weekend's win should give Boavista a confidence boost, and they may prove stubborn at home, though, even with some midweek fatigue, Sporting's quality and depth should be enough to edge past the strugglers and claim all three points.
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Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
