Sporting Lisbon and Estrela Amadora get the ball rolling in round 10 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Friday evening.
With Ruben Amorim heavily linked with the Manchester United head coach role, this weekend's clash could be the last time that we see the 39-year-old in the Leoes dugout before taking up the Red Devils' hot seat.
Match preview
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Sporting Lisbon booked their spot in the semi-finals of the Taca da Liga on Tuesday as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Nacional when the two sides squared off at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Following a goalless first half, Morten Hjulmand and Viktor Gyokeres found the back of the net to put the hosts into a comfortable lead, and after Ruben Macedo pulled one back for Nacional in the 66th minute, Gyokeres added his second of the game to make sure of the result.
This was the latest in Sporting Lisbon's fine run of cup results, having brushed aside Portimonense 2-1 in the third round of the Taca de Liga on October 18, four days before claiming a 2-0 win over Sturm Graz in the Champions League.
Amorim's side, who have picked up two wins and one draw from their three Champions League matches so far, now turn their focus to the Primeira Liga, where they boast a 100% record this season and have kicked off title defence in style.
Having stormed to their 20th league title last term, Sporting Lisbon have won each of their nine games to start the campaign, scoring a staggering 30 goals and conceding just twice to sit three points clear of second-placed Porto at the top of the league standings.
The Leoes, who have won their most recent five matches and are unbeaten in 14 straight games since August's 4-3 defeat against Porto in the Portuguese Super Cup, now take on an opposing side who have lost each of their last four clashes, conceding 10 goals and scoring five since December 2008.
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Estrela Amadora, on the other hand, turned in a resilient team display at the weekend when they fought back from behind twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Jose Gomes.
Nuno Santos and Tiago Silva found the back of the net to put Guimaraes ahead twice in the game but Leonel Bucca and Rodrigo Pinho responded each time for the home side to force a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Estrela Amadora avoided an upset in the third round of the Taca de Portugal on October 19, when they beat third-tier outfit Anadia 3-1 in extra time after overturning a first-half deficit in Rua dos Olivais thanks to goals from Pinho, Andre Luiz and a 92nd-minute own goal from Pedro Gaio.
With last weekend's result against Guimaraes, Jose Faria's men have failed to win eight of their nine games to start the Primeira Liga campaign, losing five and claiming three draws to sit 16th in the table, level on just six points with 15th-placed Boavista.
Estrela's only league win this season came on September 28, when they edged out Moreirense 2-1 at the Estadio Jose Gomes courtesy of first-half goals from Bucca and 26-year-old forward Kikas.
Team News
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Amorim's future remains the biggest talking point for Sporting Lisbon, with the 39-year-old reportedly edging closer to the Manchester United permanent head coach role, following the departure of Erik ten Hag.
On the injury front, the Leoes remain without the services of Eduardo Quaresma, who is set to sit out his fifth straight game since coming off injured against Casas Pia just before the international break.
Nuno Santos missed the cup tie against Nacional after sustaining a knee injury against Famalicao last Saturday and the experienced full-back is also ruled out of Friday's matchup.
Gyokeres continued his red-hot streak in front of goal as he grabbed a brace against Nacional last time out and the 26-year-old, who now has 27 goal contributions for club and country this season, will be one to keep an eye on.
As for Estrela, Bucca was forced off injured shortly before the hour mark against Vitoria de Guimaraes last weekend and the 25-year-old, who has two goals in the last three games is a doubt for this Friday's clash.
In his absence, former Flamengo forward Luiz will push for a starting role and should form the three-man attack with Kikas and former Sporting Lisbon man Jovane Cabral.
At the defensive end of the pitch, we expect an unchanged back three of Ruben Lima, Issiar Drame and 27-year-old Ferro, with experienced goalkeeper Bruno Brigido starting between the sticks once again.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Israel; Diomande, Debast, Inacio; Quenda, Braganca, Goncalves, Morita, Edwards, Trincao, Gyokeres
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Brigido; Lima, Drame, Ferro; Nilton, Veiga, Moreira, Cordeiro; Luiz, Cabral, Kikas
We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-0 Estrela Amadora
Following a poor start to the campaign, Estrela Amadora find themselves scrambling for points at the bottom end of the table and are in for a tough 90 minutes against a Sporting Lisbon firing on all cylinders.
The Leoes have made their home ground a fortress, going unbeaten in each of their 19 competitive home games since the turn of the year, and we are backing them to make it five wins on the bounce against the visitors this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
