
Two clubs level on three points in the Champions League league phase table meet in Lisbon on Wednesday night as Sporting CP welcome Marseille to the Jose Alvalade.
Sporting made the ideal start to their Champions League campaign as they comfortably dispatched competition debutants Kairat Almaty 4-1 in the Portuguese capital.
However, Rui Borges’s men were beaten on MD2, as a brace from Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund saw them lose 2-1 in Naples on an evening where both of my selections landed.
Domestically, The Leoes currently lie in second position, three points behind leaders Porto, but they did advance to the next round in the Taca de Portugal at the weekend, defeating second-tier Pacos de Ferreira 2-3 after extra time.
Despite a spirited performance, Marseille lost their Champions League opener 2-1 in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, but bounced back emphatically as they thrashed Ajax 4-0 on MD2.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men had lost two of their opening three Ligue 1 matches this season, but their 6-2 thrashing of Le Harve on Saturday night was their fifth consecutive win in the French top flight.
That result saw OM climb to the top of the Ligue 1 table, one place and one point clear of rivals and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
How the bookies view it: Sporting favourites
Sporting come into this clash as favourites to make it back-to-back home wins in the Champions League, with BoyleSports pricing the reigning Portuguese champions at 23/20.
The same firm has Marseille as 2/1 underdogs, whilst the draw is 5/2.
Head to head: More Marseille success?
These two clubs last met in the 2022/23 Champions League group stages, with Marseille coming out victorious in both meetings.
OM won 4-1 at the Velodrome, before winning 0-2 in the Portuguese capital.
Players to watch: Suarez to strike again?
Luis Suarez has proven to be an excellent replacement for Viktor Gyokeres, with the Colombian firing in seven goals in his opening 12 appearances for the Lisbon outfit this season.
The ex-Almeria man has scored in five of his previous six appearances for Sporting – including a penalty in Naples on MD2 – and is an appealing 6/4 at Bet365 to get on the scoresheet once again.
Mason Greenwood’s excellent season continued on Saturday night, as he scored four goals in his sides 6-2 thrashing of Le Harve.
The ex-Manchester United attacker now has seven goals and four assists in his 10 appearances in all competitions for OM this season – including a goal against Ajax on MD2 and an assist at Real Madrid on MD1 – and the 13/10 on offer for him to Score or Assist on Wednesday certainly appeals to me here.
Predicted line-ups:
Sporting will be missing both Daniel Braganca and Nuno Santos through injury.
Marseille are expected to be without Amine Gouiri, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Facundo Medina and Hamed Traore through injury.
Sporting CP: Silva, Vagiannidis, Debast, Inacio, Araujo, Morita, Hjulmand, Quenda, Trincao, Goncalves, Suarez
Marseille: Rulli, Pavard, Balerdi, Aguerd, Emerson, O’Riley, Hojbjerg, Greenwood, Gomes, Paixao, Aubameyang
Anything else catch the eye?
Marseille travel to Lisbon in scintillating form in front of goal, firing in 21 goals across their last seven matches in league and Europe, with six (86%) of those contests going Over 2.5 Goals.
Sporting’s previous 10 fixtures in all competitions have been goal-laden, averaging 3.60 goals per game, with eight (80%) going Over 2.5 Goals, whilst seven (70%) have seen goals at both ends.
Given the form both of these attacks arrive in this clash, I’m expecting a high-scoring encounter, and the 5/6 on offer at BoyleSports for Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals is my standout selection for this one.