A mouthwatering head-to-head is in prospect to start 2021 in the Primeira Liga, as leaders Sporting Lisbon host red-hot Braga at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday night.
The Portuguese top flight has a potential four-way battle for supremacy in store this year, as Carlos Carvalhal's side are now just five points behind Sporting - with Porto and Benfica sandwiched in between.
Match preview
© Reuters
Despite a recent tail-off in performances, Liga Nos leaders Sporting have put together a 13-match unbeaten streak in all competitions under the watchful eye of highly-rated coach Ruben Amorim - previously of Saturday's opponents Braga.
Sporting's scintillating start to the campaign has stoked dreams that this may finally be the year they claim the Primeira Liga crown for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
The Lisbon club reportedly paid a buyout clause of €10 million (£9m) to hire Amorim, along with his assistants Adelio Candido and Carlos Fernandes, from Braga last spring - only once has the club even paid a higher transfer fee for a player.
The investment - also one of the most substantial in management history worldwide - is already paying dividends, as the man who started his career with 10 wins out of 13 at Braga has led his new club out of the shadow of city rivals Benfica and prolific trophy-winners Porto.
Though the Lions were far from their best during a fortunate draw with Famalicao and subsequent wins over Farense and Belenenses, their new-found ability to grind out such results has kept them ahead of the chasing pack.
Playmaker Pedro Goncalves - more commonly known as 'Pote' - has proved a revelation since arriving from Famalicao, with a six-match scoring streak earning him November's 'Player of the Month' award.
The skilful midfielder previously had a spell at Wolves, while on-loan defender Pedro Porro - of fellow Premier League outfit Manchester City - has also settled into Lisbon life with ease.
Both men will be integral to their current club's hopes of beating Braga this week, as Sporting face their biggest test since a drawn meeting with Porto in October.
© Reuters
Eight victories from nine matches have helped Carlos Carvahal's Braga side make up for a sluggish start to their campaign by the turn of the year.
After a 2-1 loss at Belenenses - having been reduced to ten men on the hour mark - temporarily halted Braga's startling resurgence, they have responded with three-goal victories against Rio Ave and Boavista in their most recent league outings.
Not only that, but Carvalhal's men enjoyed serene progress to the Taca da Liga semi-finals just before Christmas. So, with progress to the Europa League last 32 also assured, the prospects for 2021 look bright for the perennial overachievers of Portuguese football.
Now just five points adrift of leaders Sporting, Braga will feel increasingly confident about closing the gap to the Lisbon giants and have the perfect opportunity to do so on Saturday.
Influential captain Ricardo Horta was named man of the match against Boavista and will cause concern for a so-far resolute Sporting defence from his position in support of striker Paulinho, who was recently capped for the first time by Portugal.
Carvalhal often enjoys a flying start to life at a new club - of which the former Besiktas and Sheffield Wednesday boss has had many - as they benefit from his principles of 'tactical periodisation', also practiced by luminaries such as Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.
The well-travelled coach, who has managed both of these sides before in two of his previous lives, now hopes to steer the provincial outsiders to an unlikely title triumph - or at least contend for a Champions League spot.
In their last six encounters both Braga and Sporting have recorded three wins each, so a well-matched 90 minutes is set to captivate fans around Portugal and beyond on Saturday night.
Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form: WWWDWW
Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions): WDWWWW
Braga Primeira Liga form: WWWLWW
Braga form (all competitions): LWWWWW
Team News
© Reuters
Sporting coach Ruben Amorim will be without first-choice defender Zou Feddal and promising forward Jovane Cabral - who returned to training this week - for the visit of Braga.
Brazilian attacker Luiz Phellype recently returned to training but is not yet ready to return to action, with either young Tiago Tomas or Slovenian striker Andraz Sporar taking the number nine role.
Braga are set to miss centre-back Bruno Viana, David Carmo and right-back Vitor Tormena after they tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Boavista game.
Winger Wenderson Galeno and Francisco Moura are also injured for Carlos Carvalhal's visiting side and it remains to be seen whether the experienced coach will decide to diverge from his favoured 3-4-2-1 setup for this testing trip to the capital.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Neto, Coates, Inacio; Mendes, Palhinha, Mario, Porro; Goncalves, Tabata; Sporar
Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; Rolando, Silva, Sequeira; Esgaio, Elmusrati, Medeiros, Novais; Horta, Fransergio; Paulinho
We say: Sporting Lisbon 1-1 Braga
With more than a hint of irresistible force versus immovable object about it, this clash may well struggle to meet fans' towering expectations.
The coaches' mutual respect and their impressive defensive records should ensure a tightly-contested encounter at Alvalade, with the hosts' unbeaten record just remaining intact.
Top betting tip
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 45.3%. A win for Braga had a probability of 29.39% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sporting Lisbon win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.16%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.19%) and 2-0 (7.77%). The likeliest Braga win was 0-1 (7.85%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.01%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sporting Lisbon would win this match.
