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

Second-placed Sporting Lisbon once again have the opportunity to reduce their deficit to the Primeira Liga summit, at least temporarily, when they welcome Nacional to Estadio Jose Alvalade on Sunday.

Entering matchday 20, the Lions are seven points adrift of leaders Porto, who travel to face Casa Pia on Monday, while the visitors from Madeira are five points clear of the relegation playoff spot following last weekend’s emphatic victory.

Match preview

Playing before their biggest title contenders of the campaign has become a routine for Sporting in recent weeks, but that scheduling has not worked in their favour, as the almost flawless Porto have responded perfectly on each of those four matchdays.

In fact, Rui Borges’s men dropped points during that sequence following a draw at Gil Vicente on matchday 17, a result which saw them fall further behind the league leaders with a seven-point deficit.

Despite fighting through the wringer to secure a 2-1 victory at Arouca last weekend, when brace-hero Luis Suarez struck a last-gasp winner, Porto’s emphatic triumph over Gil reduced that result to little more than a footnote in the Lions’s impressive return of 15 wins from 19 league matches (D3, L1).

Nevertheless, the defending champions remain second to none going forward, boasting a league-high 52 goals – 10 more than any other side in the division – and that attacking excellence could again be on full display on Sunday given their dominance in this fixture.

Including a 4-1 victory in the reverse encounter, the Lions have beaten Nacional in each of their last seven meetings, scoring at least twice in six of those matches, a record that further boosts confidence for a side riding high after an impressive continental outing in midweek.

Sporting secured direct qualification to the Champions League last 16 following Wednesday’s dramatic 3-2 victory at Athletic Bilbao, meaning the Lisbon giants have now won eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions (D1, L1), including each of the most recent four.

Nacional also arrive on the back of a morale-boosting performance, having ended a four-match winless run (D2, L2) – stretching back to their final fixture of 2025 – with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Rio Ave at Estadio da Madeira last weekend.

January signing Gabriel Veron opened the scoring in the 34th minute with his first goal in white and black colours, before second-half strikes from Jesus Ramirez, Leo Santos and Witi sealed the Alvinegros’s biggest top-flight win in around 12 years.

Tiago Margarido will hope that result does not prove another false dawn, having previously seen his side struggle to build momentum after victories, with that inconsistency reflected in a return of just five victories from 19 Primeira Liga matches this season (D5, L9).

Despite their stop-start campaign, the Madeira outfit have shown promise in attack, scoring 26 goals – with only Estoril Praia (37) netting more among teams outside the top four – although a lack of balance is evident in the 28 goals conceded.

Meanwhile, Nacional have been particularly poor on the road, failing to win any of their last six away league matches (D3, L3) and seven across all competitions — a record that does little to inspire confidence in a side without a victory in any of their last 18 visits to Jose Alvalade, with 15 of those ending in defeat.

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

Nacional Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Sporting’s injury list has eased considerably in recent weeks, with several key players returning, including Eduardo Quaresma, who came off the bench in midweek.

Fit-again Daniel Braganca made his first start since recovering from a knee injury earlier this month but may not feature from the outset, particularly with new signing Luis Guilherme expected to return to the fold after being ineligible for continental action.

Goncalo Inacio limped off during the victory over Bilbao and is likely to miss this encounter, while Matheus Reis, who replaced him in that match, will also be absent after receiving a red card in the previous league outing at Arouca.

Zeno Debast missed the midweek trip to Spain and is doubtful for Sunday, while Fotis Ioannidis, Nuno Santos, along with teenage sensations Geovany Quenda and Salvador Blopa, remain sidelined through injury.

As for Nacional, defensive duo Ivanildo Fernandes and Ulisses will continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines, alongside midfielder Filipe Soares, who has been in the club’s infirmary since November.

Right-back Joao Aurelio is a doubt after missing the previous outing, while the availability of left-back Lenny Vallier is also uncertain following consecutive absences.

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Silva; Fresneda, Diamonde, Quaresma, Araujo; Simoes, Hjulmand; Catamo, Trincao, Guilherme; Suarez

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Kaique; Nunes, Santos, Vitor, Gomes; Dias, Lizeiro, Silva; Veron, Ramirez, Boia

We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Nacional

Sporting’s gap to the Primeira Liga summit has largely stemmed from their struggles in high-profile encounters, with all dropped points coming against teams currently in the top five, so a comfortable victory is expected for the Lions against their 11th-placed visitors.

An explosive home record further strengthens that case, with the hosts having won each of their last 10 matches at Jose Avalade across all competitions, seven of those victories coming with clean sheets and by margins of at least three goals.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.