SC Farense and Sporting Lisbon get round three of the Portuguese Primeira Liga underway when they go head to head at the Estadio de Sao Luis on Friday.
While the Leoes have picked up two wins from their first two league matches, scoring an impressive nine goals and conceding twice, the home side have suffered consecutive defeats to start the season and will head into the weekend in search of a morale-boosting result.
Match preview
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Farense were left empty handed for the second consecutive game in the 2024-25 Primeira Liga campaign as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Casa Pia last Saturday.
Os Gansos were rewarded for their solid defensive display at the Estadio dos Arcos as Patrick William's 32nd-minute strike proved enough to hand them their first victory of the season.
Prior to that, Farense kicked off the season with a somewhat disappointing 2-1 home loss to Moreirense on August 11, when Maracas and Luis Asue scored either side of Alex Bermejo Escribano's 66th-minute equaliser to inspire Os verdes e brancos to all three points.
With last Saturday's result, Jose Mota's men have now lost each of their last four Primeira Liga matches, conceding eight goals and scoring just twice since scraping a 3-2 victory over Estoril Praia at the Estadio de Sao Luis on May 5.
While Farense will be looking to find their feet this weekend and get their season up and running, next up is the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side who have won each of their six encounters since December 2020.
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Sporting Lisbon turned in a superb team display last Saturday when they stormed to a 6-1 victory over newly-promoted Nacional at the Estadio da Madeira.
Nigel Thomas netted in the 36th minute to cancel out Pedro Goncalves's 16th-minute opener to draw Nacional level, but a 65th-minute strike from Daniel Braganca and two goals each from Vitor Gyokeres and Francisco Trincao saw the visitors cruise to an emphatic victory.
This followed a 3-1 victory over Rio Ave in the league curtain-raiser at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on August 9 courtesy of a first-half brace from Goncalves and Gyokeres' 63rd-minute strike.
Sporting Lisbon have now gone 23 consecutive games without defeat in the Primeira Liga, picking up an impressive 21 wins and two draws since losing 3-2 against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on December 9.
Having clinched their 20th league crown last season, when they finished 10 points clear at the top of the table, Ruben Amorim will be delighted with his side's start to the campaign as they look to pick up consecutive league titles for the first time since their four-year dominance between 1950 and 1954.
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Team News
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Farense will take to the pitch without the services of Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Felipe, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a severe injury back in February.
He is joined on the club's injury table by fellow countryman Kaique Pereira, who has missed the start of the campaign after coming off injured in the pre-season clash with Benfica on July 12.
With his brace against Nacional, Gyokeres now has six goal involvements across all competitions this season and we expect the 26-year-old striker to lead the Leoes attack once again.
Gyokeres, who finished with 29 league goals last season, should be joined in the final third by Goncalves and Trincao, while Braganca and Hidemasa Morita should retain their roles in the centre of the park.
At the defensive end of the pitch, Eduardo Quaresma, Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio should form the back three for the third consecutive game, with summer signing Vladan Kovacevic starting between the sticks.
On the injury front, Amorim will be unable to name the trio of Jerry St. Juste (muscle), Morten Hjulmand (ankle) and Nuno Santos (knee), who all continue their spells on the sidelines.
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Rivaldo, Africo, Moreno, Talys; Neto, Falcao; Belloumi, Soares, Bermejo; Tomane
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Kovacevic; Quaresma, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Braganca, Morita, Catamo; Trincao, Goncalves, Gyokeres
We say: SC Farense 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
Sporting Lisbon have flown out of the blocks in the league and will be licking their lips as they take on a floundering Farense side who have struggled to find their feet. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we are backing Amorim's men to come away with all three points at the Estadio de Sao Luis.
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Joshua Ojele
