Sporting Lisbon travel to Arouca in Friday's gameweek five action in the Primeira Liga, looking to continue their 100% start at Estadio Municipal de Arouca.
The hosts could slide into the relegation spots in the embryonic table if they lose, while the defending champions hope the hiatus has not slowed their early-season momentum.
Match preview
© Imago
Just when Arouca thought the corner was turned with a victory against Nacional in the penultimate fixture before the September international break, a 1-0 loss at Rio Ave dampened supporters' joy after the previous game's 1-0 triumph.
After having a fortnight to regroup, Gonzalo Garcia hopes to find solutions and catch Sporting on a rare bad day when they host the defending league champions on Friday.
Apart from the 3-1 road defeat by Moreirense, games involving Arouquenses this term have been settled by one goal, with an opening-day sending-off preventing Lobos from mounting an effective comeback while their loss at Rio Ave before the international break was settled with a Clayton penalty before half time.
Although Ruben Amorim's team pose superior challenges for Garcia's men, the Uruguayan will want his players to keep the match tight, hoping that the finer details favour his team this time.
Arouca netted one goal in both meetings with Sporting last season, conceding five times and losing the corresponding fixture 3-0, and a repeat is plausible given the table-topping outfit's goal-laden start to 2024-25.
© Imago
The side leading after four games have started the new term just as they concluded their title-winning campaign, notching four straight wins to own the league's only unblemished record.
Amorim's side got the better of fierce rivals Porto before the international break, with Viktor Gyokeres and Geny Catamo scoring in the final quarter to clinch a 2-0 triumph to secure their first victory in four games against the Dragons and avenge defeats in last season's cup final and this term's curtain raiser.
Maximum points saw Leoes head into the hiatus as the only club without dropping points — Vitoria beat the previously unblemished Famalicao in round four — and they aim to keep that streak going against the league's 14th-placed side.
No club has notched anywhere near Sporting's 16 goals — Santa Clara come closest with eight — and Amorim will back his players to pick up where they left off against a struggling home side that have lost three of four top-flight games this term.
Only Porto have avoided defeat to Sporting — a 2-2 draw in the final weeks of 2023-24— in the last 16 league matches, and the away side aim to clinch a 16th win in 17 Primeira Liga matches on Friday.
Team News
Cristo Gonzalez has departed Arouca for Al Sadd only a year after signing from Udinese, and the home side have to do without last season's 15-goal forward in 34 league appearances.
Lobos are without the injured Kouassi Eboue and Quaresma Correia, struggling with muscle complaints, as well as Nino Galovic (knee) and Jose Fontan (hamstring).
Gyokeres has already netted seven goals this season, four more than teammate Pedro Goncalves and Porto's Wenderson Galeno, and the striker seeks to add to his tally at Arouca.
Having created more big chances than anyone in the top division after three games, Goncalves (six) and Catamo (four) could hurt the hosts with their adeptness at fashioning goalscoring chances for colleagues.
Amorim is not expected to have the trio of Jerry St. Juste (thigh), Diogo Pinto and Vladan Kovacevic (both have ankle issues) available on Friday — Franco Israel could step in for Kovacevic between the sticks.
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Mantl; Esgaio, Rocha, Lamba, Weverson; Simao, Fukui; Sylla, Gozalbez, Jason; Araujo
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Franco; Quaresma, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Morita, Hjulmand, Catamo; Trincao, Goncalves; Gyokeres
We say: Arouca 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
Despite the hiatus, any other outcome but a Sporting victory will be surprising, despite the threat of the international break possibly causing a dip in momentum.
Regardless, Amorim's side should dispatch a struggling Arouca to continue their perfect start to this season's title defence.
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