Contents
- Competition: Taca de Portugal, 1/16 Finals
- Date: Friday, 22nd November, 2024
- Kickoff: 20:45 UK / 21:45 CET
- Venue: Estádio José Alvalade (Lisbon)
In the Taca de Portugal 1/8 Finals, one of the primary candidates for the title, Sporting CP, will welcome the third-tier team, Amarante, at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.
Sporting CP are one of the biggest clubs in Portugal. They are a reigning champ in Liga Portugal and last season's vice-champions in Taca de Portugal. This year, "The Green and Whites" are doing great in all competitions! They are the league's leader in Liga Portugal and the second-best team in the Champions League while beating some excellent teams like Manchester City. That all implies that this game against Amarante should be an easy task for Sporting. However, they changed the coach recently, and it will be interesting to see if the departure of Ruben Amorim affects the team.
Amarante managed to secure a Liga 3 promotion last year after beating Vitoria Setubal in the Campeonato de Portugal Playoffs. This year, they have been great and are looking for another promotion. Currently, they sit in 2nd place with only one point behind the league's leader, AD Fafe. In the Taca de Portugal, Amarante did well, but to be fair, they only had one tough game - against AD Fafe in the 1/128 Finals. Unfortunately for them, beating Sporting will be almost impossible.
Sporting CP vs Amarante pick: Over 3.5 goals
Sporting CP have been incredible this year. Their only loss in 18 games was at the start of the season against Porto in the Super Cup after an extra time. During this season, they have an incredible win rate of 89%. As the season progresses, they are only looking better and have won eight in a row. But their last two games were particularly impressive as they beat Manchester City 4:1 and Braga 4:2. So if they are capable of scoring four goals against teams like MC and Braga, they can definitely score four or more against the third-tier teams, even if they decide to rotate.
Amarante are in solid form. They won three out of the last four and have scored eight goals. This season, they have scored at least one goal in 11 out of 14 games. Considering that Sporting might rotate the squad for this match, Amarante might even score against them.
Simply, the difference in quality between these two teams is enormous, and we expect an easy win for Sporting. However, since the odds on a -1.5/2 AH bet are too low, we believe that an over 3.5 goals bet is the best option for this match.
Sporting CP team news
On 11th November, coach Ruben Amorim left the team and joined Manchester United after they sacked Eric Ten Hag. As his replacement, Sporting CP appointed João Pereira, who was previously a Sporting B head coach.
Pedro Goncalves suffered a muscle injury in the previous game against Braga and had to leave the field after only 26 minutes. He will most likely be out until early December. Additionally, Nuno Santos, who missed the previous four games, should remain sidelined with his injury.
Last matches of Sporting CP
-
Braga
2 : 4
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
-
Sporting CP
4 : 1
Manchester City
Champions League
-
Sporting CP
5 : 1
Estrela Amadora
Liga Portugal
-
Sporting CP
3 : 1
CD Nacional
League Cup
-
Famalicao
0 : 3
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
Sporting CP lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Franco Israel
Defenders
-
47
Ricardo Esgaio
-
26
Ousmane Diomande
-
2
Matheus Reis
Midfielders
-
57
Geovany Quenda
-
42
Morten Hjulmand
-
23
Daniel Braganca
-
20
Maximiliano Araujo
Forwards
-
17
Trincao
-
9
Viktor Gyokeres
-
21
Geny Catamo
Amarante team news
Before the Sporting game, coach Álvaro Madureira spoke about the upcoming match. He said they are full of respect for Sporting and that they are a train that is currently running over everyone. The coach added that he told his players to enjoy the match and also hinted he would not change the tactic for Sporting.
Last matches of Amarante
-
Trofense
1 : 0
Amarante
Liga 3
-
Amarante
1 : 0
Sanjoanense
Liga 3
-
Amarante
1 : 0
Vilaverdense
Liga 3
-
Amarante
6 : 1
Juventude Lajense
Taça De Portugal
-
Fafe
4 : 1
Amarante
Liga 3
Amarante lineup
Goalkeeper
-
65
Diogo Figueiredo
Defenders
-
4
Joao Filipe
-
6
Daniel Alves
-
64
Diogo Vila
Midfielders
-
2
Obama Ribeiro
-
12
Abdoul Zangre
-
18
Francis Okoli
-
99
Bright
Forwards
-
11
Buby
-
10
Carlos Semedo
-
80
Dinho
3 Reasons why we should see four or more goals
- Sporting CP scored three or more goals in the last five games
- Sporting CP were over 3.5 goals in the last four games
- Amarante scored at least one goal in 11 out of 14 games this season
Main prediction Sporting CP - Amarante
Over 3.5 goals
Best Odds: