Seeking to end their three-game losing streak, Santa Clara play host to Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio de Sao Miguel in round nine of Primeira Liga.
The visitors head into the weekend fresh off the back of a disappointing 4-1 loss against Marseille in the Champions League and will be looking to quickly return to winning ways.
Match preview
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Santa Clara failed to find their feet as they fell to a slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Rio Ave when the sides squared off last Sunday.
In a game where Kennedy Boateng received his marching orders, 26-year-old forward Emmanuel Boateng came up clutch at the Estadio dos Arcos as he scored the only goal of the game to put the visitors to the sword.
Santa Clara are now on a three-game winless run, picking up one point from a possible nine, while they have failed to win seven of their eight games so far — with a 2-1 victory over Maritimo on September 4 being the only exception.
Os Acoreanos, who secured an impressive seventh-placed finish last term, are currently 16th in the Primeira Liga standings after picking up five points from a possible 24, but could potentially move into 14th place with all three points this season.
Mario Silva's men's underwhelming start to the season has been owing to their struggles away from home, where they are one of just two sides yet to pick up any points after losing each of their opening four outings.
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Sporting Lisbon, on the other hand, saw their perfect record in the Champions League come to an end as they fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against French outfit Marseille when the sides met on Tuesday.
After falling behind to Francisco Trincao's early strike, Alexis Sanchez, Amine Harit and Leonardo Balerdi scored in a 15-minute spell to turn the game around and hand the hosts a first-half lead before Chancel Mbemba put the icing on the cake with an 84th-minute strike.
Prior to that, Sporting Lisbon picked up two wins from two in the Champions League as they saw off Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in their Group D opener on September 7, before claiming a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur six days later.
The Leoes now turn their attention to Primeira Liga, where they have endured a slow start to the season, claiming 13 points from their opening eight games to sit seventh in the league, nine points off first-placed Benfica.
However, Ruben Amorim's side are currently on a fine run of form, claiming three wins from their last four league outings — with a 2-1 loss to Boavista on September 17 being the exception.
Sporting Lisbon will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways this weekend as they go up against an opposing side who have lost eight of the last nine meetings between the sides in all competitions since November 2019.
Team News
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Santa Clara will take to the pitch without Boateng after the 25-year-old defender received his marching orders against Rio Ave last weekend.
On the injury front, Silva will be unable to call upon the services of centre-back Paulo Henrique, who missed the aforementioned game after coming off injured against Pacos de Ferreira on September 17.
Fellow countryman Costinha is yet to make an appearance this year after picking up an ACL injury last August and the 30-year-old forward remains out of contention for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon will have to make do without the duo of Daniel Braganca and veteran defender Neto, who are both recuperating from knee injuries.
Pedro Porro has also missed the last two games through a knee problem, while Sebastian Coates has been ruled out through injury.
The Leoes will also have to make do with the absence of 24-year-old forward Jovane Cabral, who has been out of action since June when he sustained a severe thigh problem.
Santa Clara possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Sagna, Quintilla, Gonzalez, Ferreira; Bicalho, Fagundes, Bobsin; Silva, Marcos, Ricardinho
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Marsa, Inacio, Reis, Esgaio; Morita, Ugarte, Santos; Trincao, Paulinho, Goncalves
We say: Santa Clara 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
Off the back of a disappointing Champions League defeat, Sporting Lisbon will be looking to make an immediate positive reaction. They have enjoyed the better of this fixture and we predict that they will extend their dominance over the hosts in what should be a convincing victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
