FC Porto vs Sporting CP
, KO: 20:30 Aug 20, 2022, Estadio do Dragao
One of the biggest fixtures in the Portuguese Primeira Liga comes up this weekend as FC Porto play host to rivals Sporting CP. Both teams often serve up intense and closely fought battles, but Porto have claimed the upper hand in recent meetings and should once again have the edge here.
FC Porto's title defence has gotten off to a fine start as they have won their opening two matches. They began with a 5-1 victory over Maritimo before Ivan Marcano’s injury time effort gave them a 1-0 win over Vizela last weekend.
The champions are actually on a three-match winning run having claimed a 3-0 victory over Tondela in the Portuguese Super Cup. Porto’s early season form looks ominous for the rest of the league as they have now scored nine goals and conceded just one in their three matches so far.
Porto have been near perfect at home lately and were unbeaten in front of their fans throughout last season. The last time Sergio Conceicao’s men suffered defeat at the Estadio do Dragao was a 3-2 loss to Maritimo back in 2020.
Sporting CP have been the closest challengers to FC Porto's dominance in Portugal in recent years and won the Primeira Liga two seasons ago. They ran the champions close again last season but eventually fell away and finished six points off the pace.
Ruben Amorim’s men are once again expected to push Porto but have not made the best start to the season. They began with a 3-3 draw at Sporting Braga before bouncing back last time out with a 3-0 home win against Rio Ave.
Sporting CP have shown plenty of attacking quality so far with six goals in their opening two matches. However, conceding three goals at Sporting Braga highlights a defensive vulnerability that could be exploited by a team like Porto.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed FC Porto as favourites with a home win priced at 11/10 by Coral. A victory for Sporting CP is valued at 11/4 by BoyleSports while SBK is offering odds of 27/11 for a draw.
Recent head to head
FC Porto were unbeaten against Sporting CP last season, earning two wins and a draw from three meetings. They earned a 1-0 victory in the last meeting at the Estadio do Dragao.
Players to watch
Mehdi Taremi appears to have picked up where he left off last season with four goals in three matches so far. Bet365 is offering odds of 7/4 on the striker to score anytime on Saturday.
Sporting CP will look to Pote to provide the spark in attack having scored three goals in the opening two matches this season. The striker is priced at 15/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
FC Porto and Sporting CP have scored in three of their last four meetings and could be set for a similar outcome at 13/16 with SBK. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 19/20 with BetVictor while over 3.5 goals is valued at 12/5 with William Hill.
FC Porto’s superior attacking quality means they could be backed to score in both halves at 9/4 with Coral.
This match between FC Porto and Sporting CP will be played on Aug 20, 2022 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best FC Porto vs Sporting CP prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
