Fresh off the back of crashing out of the Champions League, Sporting Lisbon play host to Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in round 12 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Os Vimaranenses are one of the standout performers so far this season and will head into the weekend seeking to pick up a fifth victory on the bounce across all competitions.
Match preview
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Sporting Lisbon were kicked down to the Europa League on Tuesday when they failed to hold on to their lead before falling to a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Arthur Gomes opened the scoring in the 39th minute to put the hosts on their way to a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League before second-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Randal Kolo Muani helped the German outfit complete the comeback.
Having both entered Tuesday level on seven points in Group D, Tuesday's defeat saw the Leoes fall to third place and into the Europa League, with Frankfurt consequently clinching second place with 10 points from a possible 18.
Ruben Amorim's side now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they were denied a fourth consecutive victory last Saturday courtesy of a 1-0 loss against Arouca at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca.
Sporting Lisbon have now picked up six wins and lost four of their 11 league matches this season to collect 19 points and sit sixth in the standings, one point and one spot off Saturday's visitors.
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Vitoria de Guimaraes, meanwhile, maintained their fine run of results as they saw off a late comeback scare to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Famalicao last Sunday.
In an end-to-end affair at the Dom Afonso Henriques, a brace from Nelson Luz and Michael Johnson's 21st-minute opener put the hosts in a commanding lead before substitute Alex Millan struck twice in a nine-minute spell for the Vila Nova to reduce the deficit.
Vitoria de Guimaraes, who have now won each of their last four matches in all competitions, head into the weekend unbeaten in seven straight outings, stretching back to a 1-0 loss away to Braga on September 3.
This fine run of results also saw Joao Teixeira's side secure a place in the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal courtesy of a comfortable 3-1 victory against Liga 3 outfit CF Canelas on October 15.
Next up for Vitoria de Guimaraes is the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side who have won each of the last four meetings between the teams and are unbeaten in their last seven encounters since a 1-0 loss in December 2018.
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Team News
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Sporting Lisbon will be without the Portuguese midfield duo of Daniel Braganca and Nuno Santos, who are currently recuperating from knee and ankle injuries respectively.
They are joined on the Leoes' injury table by fellow compatriot Luis Neto, who has been out of action since September when he suffered a knee problem.
Japanese midfielder Hidemasa Morita came off injured in the Champions League match against Tottenham on October 26 and the 27-year-old is set to sit out his third consecutive game.
Vitoria de Guimaraes, on the other hand, will take to the pitch without the Portuguese trio of Jorge Fernandes, Miguel Maga and Tomas Handel, who have both been sidelined through injuries.
Bruno Gaspar and Andre Silva have been out of action since August and are both out of contention for this weekend's matchup.
With his brace last time out, Luz now has three goals in his last four matches and we expect the 24-year-old to lead the attack once again, alongside Johnson and former Famalicao man Anderson Silva.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Coates, Inacio, Reis; Esgaio, Rochinha, Essugo, Nazinho; Gomes, Trincao, Goncalves
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Amaro, Villanueva, Bamba; Ze Carlos, Andre, Silva, Freitas; Luz, Silva, Johnston
We say: Sporting Lisbon 1-1 Vitoria de Guimaraes
While Sporting Lisbon will be looking to arrest their slump, they take on a spirited Vitoria de Guimaraes side who have proven to be a hard nut to crack this season. Teixeira's side have put together a fine run of form in recent weeks and we predict that they will do just enough to leave with a point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
