Preview: Vitoria de Guimaraes vs Sporting Lisbon - prediction, team news, lineups

Second-placed Sporting Lisbon will look to maintain pressure on the Primeira Liga leaders as they travel to Vitoria de Guimaraes for Tuesday’s round 15 encounter.

The Lions are five points adrift of the Portuguese top-flight summit and could see that gap widen further before kickoff, with Porto in action a day earlier, while the Conquerors have climbed to seventh place but arrive weighed down by the disappointment of a recent cup elimination.

Match preview

In the space of two weeks, Vitoria have swung between contrasting extremes in the domestic cups, surging into the Taca da Liga semi-finals with an impressive 3–1 away victory over Porto before suffering a sobering exit from the Taca de Portugal following a 1–0 home defeat to struggling AVS in midweek.

That setback brought an end to a six-match unbeaten spell across all competitions (W5, D1), while also offering a measure of payback for the Vila das Aves side, who had been thrashed 4–0 at the same venue in league action just three weeks earlier.

That result against AVS formed part of a four-match unbeaten sequence in the Primeira Liga for Vitoria, with the only blemish during that run coming in a goalless draw against Gil Vicente, while narrow victories over Tondela and Rio Ave underline a side that has rediscovered its resilience.

The Conquerors had endured a sluggish start to the league campaign, with just three wins from 10 outings (D2, L5), and the recent upturn has lifted confidence around the Afonso Henriques Stadium, even if greater efficiency in front of goal remains an area for improvement.

Now sitting five points outside the top four, Luis Pinto’s men will aim to close the gap with a positive result, though their modest attacking output remains a concern, with the Conquerors’s tally of 15 league goals only more than that of the bottom three.

That said, home form offers encouragement for Vitoria, who have suffered only one league defeat on familiar ground this season; that loss came in a 3-0 defeat against one of the traditional big three, Benfica.

Sporting arrive with credentials that require little introduction, having claimed victories in 11 of their 14 matches across all competitions.

The Lions’s most recent appearance, however, proved far from straightforward, as Rui Borges’s side needed a late and contentious penalty to force extra time against 10-man Santa Clara before eventually prevailing 3–2 to reach the Taca da Liga quarter-finals.

A return to league duties should provide a more familiar rhythm, particularly after the emphatic 6–0 dismantling of bottom-placed AVS in their last Primeira Liga outing at Estadio Jose Alvalade.

With 11 wins from 14 fixtures, Sporting’s title defence remains firmly on course, backed by a league-high return of 38 goals and a defensive record of just seven conceded, bettered by only one side.

Those numbers, however, have been partially overshadowed by Porto’s relentless pace, meaning the Lions cannot afford any slip-ups, and while they may harbour hopes of a rare stumble from the leaders against newly promoted Alverca, their priority will be taking care of business in Guimaraes.

Confidence is further boosted by an impressive away return, with six wins from seven league trips (D1), even if recent visits to this venue have proven troublesome, without a win in the last two, losing 3–2 in 2023–24 before sharing a dramatic 4–4 draw last season.

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

Vitoria de Guimaraes form (all competitions):

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

Team News

Vitoria may be without Oscar Rivas Viondi after the 25-year-old was forced off during their latest outing, with Miguel Nobrega poised to deputise alongside Rodrigo Abascal if required.

Forward Gustavo Silva remains unavailable, having been sidelined since sustaining an injury against Braga in September, while midfielder Beni Mukendi is absent due to international duty with Angola at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sporting are also affected by the tournament, with Geny Catamo and Ousmane Diomande away representing Mozambique and Ivory Coast, respectively.

Injuries continue to limit Borges’s options, with Nuno Santos, Daniel Braganca and Zeno Debast all ruled out through knee problems.

Pedro Goncalves and Geovany Quenda are expected to miss out again, while Hidemasa Morita remains a doubt after sitting out the midweek cup tie.

Maxi Araujo impressed in an advanced role against AVS, netting twice in that dominant display, and could retain his place on the left side of the attack.

Luiz Suarez, meanwhile, arrives in strong condition after registering braces in two of his last three league appearances and will look to add to his tally of 11 Primeira Liga goals.

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Castillo; Maga, Nobrega, Abascal, Mendes; Nogueira, Mitrovic; Camara, Arcanjo, Saviolo; Oliveira

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Silva; Vagiannidis, Quaresma, Inacio, Mangas; Kochorashvili, Hjulmand; Santos, Trincao, Araujo; Suarez

We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 0-2 Sporting Lisbon

Vitoria’s recent progress has been underpinned by defensive organisation rather than attacking fluency, raising doubts over their ability to contain Sporting’s firepower.

While the hosts are expected to make life difficult, the visitors’ superior quality in the final third is expected to tell, with a controlled away success the likely outcome.

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