Sporting CP vs FC Porto
, KO: 18:00 Feb 12, 2023, Estadio Jose Alvalade
It is a clash of former champions as Sporting CP host FC Porto in the Primeira Liga on Sunday. Porto have claimed the upper hand in recent meetings and having already beaten their hosts this season, should have the edge once again.
Sporting CP won the Primeira Liga title in 2021 but have struggled to reach those levels this season. They have been eased away from the title race and are currently fourth on the table, 15 points behind leaders Benfica.
Having stumbled slightly at the turn of the year, Sporting are trying to rediscover their form. They have won their last three Primeira Liga matches and claimed a 1-0 victory at Rio Ave in their previous fixture.
Sporting CP are generally solid at home and head into Sunday’s clash with wins in their last seven Primeira Liga matches at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. Ruben Amorim’s men are often prolific on their own turf as evidenced by the 5-0 victory over Sporting Braga in their previous home fixture.
Like Sporting, FC Porto are also playing second fiddle to Benfica, although they are much closer to the top than their hosts. The champions are second on the standings, eight points behind the leaders with a game in hand.
FC Porto are playing catch-up as a result of a rough patch around October, although they have found their feet in recent times. They have won seven of their last eight Primeira Liga matches and claimed a 2-0 victory over Vizela in their previous fixture.
Sergio Conceicao’s men have also impressed on their travels this season either their last away defeat coming in a Champions League fixture back in September. They have won 11 of their last 14 away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Sporting CP priced at 17/10 by Paddy Power while SBK is offering 8/5 for a Porto victory. A draw is set at odds of 23/10 by bet365.
Recent head to head
FC Porto have the upper hand in recent meetings with Sporting Lisbon, winning the last four fixtures. They have already beaten their rivals twice this season, claiming a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture and before winning 2-0 in the Taca de Portugal in January.
Players to watch
Sporting CP are among the leading scorers in the Primeira Liga and have been particularly prolific at home. Attacker, Pedro Gonçalves is their top scorer with 10 goals and could be backed to find the net on Sunday at 47/20 with Unibet.
Mehdi Taremi is the leading scorer for FC Porto with 11 goals and will be the one tasked with providing the spark in attack. The striker was on target last time out at Vizela and is priced at 12/5 by bet365 to get in the score sheet.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is plenty of attacking quality on display here and both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with Unibet. Sporting CP have seen over 2.5 goals in their last seven Primeira Liga matches and a repeat is priced at 11/10 with Betfred while over 3.5 goals is valued at 14/5 with Unibet.
FC Porto have opened the scoring in the last three meetings and could be tipped to grab the first goal on Sunday at evens with Coral.
This match between Sporting CP and FC Porto will be played on Feb 12, 2023 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sporting CP vs FC Porto prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
