Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting CP
UEFA Champions League, KO: 20:00 Oct 26, 2022, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
TOTTENHAM fans are starting to lose patience with Antonio Conte's pragmatism so the Spurs boss needs a result and a good performance when Sporting CP come calling in the Champions League.
Conte's side sit top of Group D but progress to the knockout stages still isn't guaranteed with just three points separating them from Eintracht Frankfurt at the bottom of the section.
A victory over Sporting Lisbon would get Tottenham over the line but if they fail to see off the Portuguese side it will lead to more grumbles in the stands.
Defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle in the past week have seen Spurs drop five points off the pace in the Premier League title race but fans are more concerned with watching their side be outplayed.
Conte's conservative approach has been tolerated with the Italian grinding out results but Jose Mourinho can tell him all about what happens when boring football starts to coincide with dropped points.
So it's a massive 90 minutes ahead for the Tottenham boss and he will fancy his chances off seeing off a Sporting CP side in poor form.
Since beating Spurs 2-0 in Portugal back in September, the Lisbon side have lost four of their next seven games. Disappointing defeats home and away to Marseille have damaged their hopes of progress in the Champions League, with Sporting CP now sitting third in the section.
Gaffer Ruben Amorim was linked with the Aston Villa job before Unai Emery was appointed but with the speculation now over can concentrate on taking his side further in Europe.
How the bookies view it
It has been a bad week for Tottenham Hotspur but they are red-hot favourites for this one at a best 7/15 with SBK. Sporting CP's best price is 33/5 with VBet while the draw pays 19/5 at the same firm.
Head to head
That 2-0 win in Lisbon last month was the first meeting of these sides in European football. Tottenham have faced Portuguese sides 15 times, winning eight of those matches and losing five.
Players to watch
Heung-Min Son did me a turn in Tottenham last Champions League match, netting twice after I backed him just to have over 1.5 shots on target. The South Korean has drawn blanks in the three matches since then but I fancy him to get back on track here. Son is 6/4 at Bet365 for anytime scorer and the same bet for over 1.5 shots on target pays 11/10 this time with Unibet.
Marcus Edwards caught the eye when Sporting CP beat Spurs in Lisbon and could haunt his old club again. The winger is 9/2 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Sporting Lisbon haven't kept a clean sheet since shutting out Tottenham, conceding in their last seven games. Marseille scored six times against them across two games so it bodes well for some goals here. Over 2.5 goals is a best 13/8 at VBet but the odds increase to 7/4 at Unibet if you go to over 3.5 strikes.
Ill discipline cost Sporting CP in their double-header with Marseille as they picked up three red cards and seven yellows. That suggests over 3.5 Sporting cards stands a chance here at 39/20 with Unibet.
This UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sporting CP will be played on Oct 26, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting CP prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
