Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon will be aiming to bounce back from three straight defeats when they travel to Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Sporting are currently 10th in the Champions League table, picking up 10 points from their opening five matches in the competition, while Club Brugge are 22nd, collecting seven points from their first five games.
Match preview
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Club Brugge have a record of two wins, one draw and two defeats from their five Champions League matches this season, with a total of seven points leaving them in 22nd spot in the table, just one point ahead of 24th-placed Real Madrid.
Goals have been a real problem for the Belgian outfit in the competition this term, finding the back of the net on just four occasions, but they have been strong defensively, conceding only seven times in their five matches.
Nicky Hayen's side have lost to Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in the Champions League this term, but they have secured four points from their last two matches, beating Aston Villa 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with Celtic at the end of November.
Blauw-Zwart will enter this match off the back of three straight defeats, while they are unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions, including a 2-1 success over Mechelen in the league on Saturday, with the result leaving them second in the Belgian table on 34 points, four points behind division leaders Genk.
Club Brugge have won three, drawn one and lost three of their previous seven home games against Portuguese clubs, but Tuesday's clash will represent the first-ever meeting between these two sides.
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Sporting, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Moreirense in the Primeira Liga, with the result leaving them on 33 points from 13 league matches, two points ahead of second-placed Benfica in the table.
The Green and Whites have lost their last three games in all competitions, including a 5-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League at the end of last month, with the team struggling since Ruben Amorim's departure in the middle of November.
Joao Pereira's side sit 10th in the Champions League table, boasting a record of three wins, one draw and one defeat to collect 10 points, which has left them five points behind the overall leaders Liverpool.
Sporting remain in a strong position to secure a spot in the knockout round of the competition, but they have never won an away match against a Belgian club, drawing two and losing three of their previous five matches with teams in Belgium.
The Lisbon giants have actually been beaten in 10 of their last 16 away matches in the Champions League, but they have lost only three of their last 14 away European fixtures across the board, recording five wins in the process.
Team News
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Club Brugge will be missing Bjorn Meijer on Tuesday, but Gustaf Nilsson is in contention after a one-month absence due to a calf problem, with the Swede back on the bench in the league on Saturday.
Christos Tzolis has been in excellent form during the 2024-25 campaign, scoring eight goals and registering three assists in 24 appearances, and the 22-year-old will once again be in the home side's XI.
Hans Vanaken, meanwhile, has seven goals and eight assists in 25 appearances this term, and he is another certain starter; Ferran Jutgla only has three goals this term, but the 25-year-old should continue as the centre-forward.
As for Sporting, Franco Israel remains a major doubt due to illness, while Eduardo Quaresma is unavailable for selection due to an ankle problem; Nuno Santos and Pedro Goncalves are also missing for the visitors.
Viktor Gyokeres has been in excellent form this season, scoring 25 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions, and the Sweden international will once again lead the Sporting line on Tuesday night.
Goncalves' absence is a big one considering that he has five goals and six assists to his name this term, and Marcus Edwards is expected to be the player to benefit, with the Englishman potentially joining Gyokeres and Trincao in the front three.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari; Skov Olsen, Vanaken, Tzolis; Jutgla
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Kovacevic; St Juste, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Hjulmand, Morita, Araujo; Trincao, Gyokeres, Edwards
We say: Club Brugge 1-1 Sporting Lisbon
Club Brugge are not losing football matches at the moment, and they will fancy their chances of overcoming a wounded Sporting outfit; the Lisbon giants are a quality side, though, and we are expecting them to be good enough for a share of the spoils in this European clash.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
