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Nacional
Primeira Liga | Gameweek 13
Jan 8, 2021 at 6pm UK
Estadio da Madeira
Sporting Lisbon

Nacional
0 - 2
Sporting Lisbon


Micael (11'), Simoes da Vinha (42'), Borges (61'), Freitas (69')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Santos (43'), Cabral (90')
Feddal (27'), Amorim (57')

Preview: Nacional vs. Sporting Lisbon - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Primeira Liga clash between Nacional and Sporting Lisbon, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Sporting Lisbon head into their contest with Nacional on Thursday evening looking to extend their lead at the top of the Primeira Liga standings to seven points.

Meanwhile, Nacional welcome the frontrunners to the Madeira Stadium sitting in ninth position after their recent win over Tondela.


Match preview

Sporting Lisbon's Pedro Goncalves celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates© Reuters

When playing host to Braga at the weekend, Sporting were at risk of seeing their lead reduced at the top of the table and fourth-placed Braga moving to within two points.

However, second-half goals from Pedro Goncalves and Matheus Nunes earned their club a 2-0 victory, and it has left Sporting four points ahead of the chasing pack.

While Porto and Benfica have the quality to close down the current pacesetters, seeing Sporting extend their unbeaten start to 12 matches has kept the pressure on the nation's most high-profile clubs.

Ruben Amorim will refuse to get carried away by his side's ruthless streak in the top flight, but every win going forward will leave their nearest rivals unable to slip up in their own fixtures.

Amorin would have been relieved to see Goncalves end his two-match goalless run against Braga, taking his tally to 11 strikes in as many appearances.

Like the visitors, Nacional head into this contest on a high after registering an important 2-0 triumph over Tondela for just their third win in 11 games.

Luis Freire's side were helped by their opponents having two players sent off, although victory was far from routine for a club who had lost their previous three contests.

Although just three points separate Nacional and the relegation zone, Freire and his squad can at least go into this contest with little to lose against the in-form side in the country.

The Alvinegros have collected nine of their 13 points for the season at home, suffering just one defeat at the hands of Santa Clara.

Nacional Primeira Liga form: DWLLLW
Nacional form (all competitions): WLLLWW

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form: WWDWWW
Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions): DWWWWW


Team News

Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim pictured in October 2020© Reuters

Nunes will hope for a recall to the Sporting side after scoring as a substitute against Braga.

Nuno Santos is at risk of dropping down to the replacements, while Andraz Sporar is also pushing for a starting role.

Having not played since December 27, Freire could opt against making any changes to his Nacional XI.

Abdullahi Ibrahim Alhassan is an alternative to Nuno Borges in the centre of midfield.

Nacional possible starting lineup:
Guimaraes; Freitas, Cesar, Kal, Vigario; Micael, Borges, Azouni; Riascos, Rochez, Camacho

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Neto, Coates, Feddal; Porro, Palhinha, Mario, Mendes; Goncalves, Nunes; Tomas


SM words green background

We say: Nacional 0-2 Sporting Lisbon

On a high after their important success against Tondela, we expect a strong performance from Nacional on home territory. However, few teams are capable of stopping this Sporting team right now, and the visitors should outclass their hosts in the final third.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Darren Plant

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 53.9%. A draw had a probability of 24.8% and a win for Nacional had a probability of 21.31%.

The most likely scoreline for a Sporting Lisbon win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.78%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.36%) and 1-2 (9.53%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.74%), while for a Nacional win it was 1-0 (7.24%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 10.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sporting Lisbon would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Nacional vs Sporting Lisbon

Nacional
7.2%
Draw
9.4%
Sporting Lisbon
83.3%
138
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Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim pictured in October 2020
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sporting Lisbon14120243103336
2Benfica1210113172431
3Porto1310123192231
4Santa ClaraSanta Clara139041612427
5Braga137332213924
6Vitoria de GuimaraesGuimaraes136341612421
7MoreirenseMoreirense146261919020
8FamalicaoFamalicao134631412218
9Gil Vicente144461724-716
10Rio AveRio Ave134361323-1015
11Casa Pia133551117-614
12Estoril PraiaEstoril133551219-714
13Nacional13337817-912
14Estrela Amadora133371222-1012
15BoavistaBoavista142571019-911
16AVS132561021-1111
17SC FarenseFarense14239720-139
18AroucaArouca13229723-168


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