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Famalicao logo
Primeira Liga | Gameweek 4
Aug 28, 2021 at 8.30pm UK
Estádio Municipal 22 de Junho
Sporting Lisbon

Famalicao
1 - 1
Sporting Lisbon

Mendes (68' og.)
Pepe (3'), Pickel (12'), Figueiras (90+1')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Palhinha (82')
Esgaio (4'), Palhinha (14'), Mendes (40'), Goncalves (75'), Tabata (90+6')

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

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

Two teams who have had contrasting starts to the league campaign go toe-to-toe on Saturday when Famalicao welcome Sporting Lisbon to the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao.

The hosts were condemned to their third consecutive defeat last Friday, while the visitors made it three wins on the bounce with a 2-0 victory over Belenenses.


Match preview

Sporting Lisbon's Pedro Goncalves celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates in January 2021© Reuters

Famalicao's disappointing start to the season continued last time out when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against newly-promoted Arouca.

In an action-packed contest at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca, Joao Basso cancelled out Bruno Rodrigues's opener from the spot in the 66th minute before Leandro Silva completed the comeback in the 89th minute to hand the hosts their first win of the season.

Ivo Vieira's men are one of two sides yet to pick up a point this season and this has been down to their struggles at the defensive end of the pitch where they have already conceded six goals.

While going up against Saturday's victors is always a stern test for any side in the division, Famalicao have held their ground against the reigning champions since gaining promotion in 2019, picking up two wins and two draws from their four encounters.

Sporting Lisbon, on the other hand, maintained their perfect start to the new Primeira Liga season last Saturday when they claimed a 2-0 home victory over 10-man Belenenses.

In a game where Afonso Taira picked up a late red card, Goncalo Inacio and Joao Palhinha scored in either half to maintain Sporting Lisbon's 100% record in the league.

Prior to that, the Leoes cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Vizela in their league opener before beating Braga 2-1 at the Braga Municipal with Jovane Cabral and Pedro Goncalves getting on the scoresheet.

While it might be too early to look into the league standings, it is worth noting that Sporting Lisbon currently lead the way, alongside Benfica who also have a 100% record, and have currently scored the most league goals with seven in three outings.

After ending their 18-year wait for a league title last season, Ruben Amorim's men have now started their title defence in fine fashion and will fancy their chances of picking up a second title on the trot.

Famalicao Primeira Liga form:
  • L
  • L
  • L

Famalicao form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:
  • W
  • W
  • W

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W


Team News

Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim pictured in October 2020© Reuters

Famalicao will be without the services of Marcos Paulo, who recently completed a loan switch from Atletico Madrid, as he is currently sidelined through a thigh injury.

The Brazilian forward is joined on the club's injury table by Pedro Marques and Heriberto Tavares, who are also currently recuperating from injuries.

Despite his side's poor performances, Bruno Rodrigues has been on song for the Famalicenses, scoring in each of their last two outings, and the 24-year-old will be one to watch out for on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon will be boosted by the return of Brazilian defender Matheus Reis, who served his one-match suspension last week after picking up a red card in the game against Braga.

Barring any late fitness issues, the Leoes head into the game with a clean bill of health and we expect Amorim to make little or no alterations to the side that started last week.

Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Figueiras, Batubinsika, Riccieli, Lima; Pepe, Tavares; I Rodrigues, Jamie, B Rodrigues; Jesus

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Neto, Coates, Inacio; Vinagre, Nunes, Palhinha, Esgaio; Goncalves, Santos; Paulinho


SM words green background

We say: Famalicao 1-2 Sporting Lisbon

Famalicao's defensive struggles have seen them fail to pick up a point from their opening three encounters. While they will be looking to end this poor run of results, they go up against a rampant Sporting Lisbon side, who have picked up seven wins in each of their last seven games across all competitions.

Given the difference in their current form, we are tipping Amorim's men to claim all three points and end their four-game winless run against the hosts.



Top 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



ID:461007:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9309:
Written by
Joshua Ojele

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 51.84%. A draw had a probability of 25.3% and a win for Famalicao had a probability of 22.87%.

The most likely scoreline for a Sporting Lisbon win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.57%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.9%) and 1-2 (9.43%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.98%), while for a Famalicao win it was 1-0 (7.62%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 12% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Famalicao vs Sporting Lisbon

Famalicao
6.5%
Draw
4.3%
Sporting Lisbon
89.1%
46
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Sporting Lisbon's Joao Palhinha in action in February 2021
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sporting Lisbon15121243103337
2Porto1512123692737
3Benfica1411213482635
4Braga1584327161128
5Santa ClaraSanta Clara159061615127
6Vitoria de GuimaraesGuimaraes146441814422
7Casa Pia155551618-220
8MoreirenseMoreirense156271922-320
9FamalicaoFamalicao154741817119
10Gil Vicente154561724-717
11Rio AveRio Ave144461525-1016
12Estoril PraiaEstoril143561221-914
13AVS152761122-1113
14BoavistaBoavista152671019-912
15Nacional14338819-1112
16Estrela Amadora143381224-1212
17SC FarenseFarense15339921-1212
18AroucaArouca153210926-1711


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