Sporting CP host LASK at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Wednesday, 21 October, in the UEFA Champions League league phase. Kick-off is set for 20:00 local time. Sporting beat Galatasaray and Lens in their first two matches and can make it three wins from three on Wednesday. LASK are still searching for their opening points after losing to AEK Athens and Liverpool.
Sporting CP team news
Sporting are expected to be missing Zeno Debast and Rodrigo Zalazar. UEFA lists both players as out with muscular injuries. Nuno Santos also sat out the team’s final training session before the game as he works back from a long-term injury, according to A Bola’s report.
Coach Rui Borges said Debast should return to full training soon and is likely to recover ahead of Zalazar, though he did not offer a firm return date for either player. Ibrahima Ba is fit and ready to play, which gives Sporting an extra option at the back.
The starting goalkeeper spot is still undecided. UEFA’s predicted lineup has Kaique Pereira in goal, but Borges said he had not yet told his goalkeepers who would start. During Sporting’s official pre-match press conference, the club also stressed the need to watch out for LASK’s fast counterattacks.
LASK team news
LASK head to Lisbon after beating Austria Lustenau 0-4 on 17 October. That win was a welcome response to their 3-6 Champions League loss against Liverpool. LASK caused problems for Liverpool when attacking, but they will need to defend with greater care against Sporting.
George Bello is a doubt with a muscular injury, and Moses Usor is also doubtful because of a shoulder issue. Both players missed LASK’s recent games. UEFA’s matchday preview names Bello and Usor as doubts and lists no confirmed absentees for LASK.
LASK coach Dietmar Kühbauer knows how tough the trip will be. Speaking in the club’s official match preview, he said Sporting had looked strong in their opening two European matches and noted that his players would have to perform at a high standard to take anything from Lisbon.
Sporting CP predicted lineup
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Kaique Pereira, Iván Fresneda, Gonçalo Inácio, Eduardo Quaresma, Maximiliano Araújo, Sergi Altimira, Issa Doumbia, Geny Catamo, Luís Guilherme, Nestory Irankunda, Luis Suárez.
With Debast unavailable, Eduardo Quaresma is expected to join Gonçalo Inácio in the middle of a four-man defence that also includes Iván Fresneda and Maximiliano Araújo. Kaique Pereira is tipped to start in goal, though Rui Silva remains another choice. Sergi Altimira and Issa Doumbia are predicted to play in the two deeper midfield roles behind Geny Catamo, Luís Guilherme, and Nestory Irankunda, with Luis Suárez up front.
LASK predicted lineup
Formation: 5-3-2
Lukas Jungwirth, Kasper Jørgensen, Xavier Mbuyamba, Andrés Andrade, Alemão, Yvan Dibango, Melayro Bogarde, Alessandro Schöpf, Krystof Daněk, Saša Kalajdžić, Samuel Adeniran.
Lukas Jungwirth is projected to start in goal behind a five-man defence of Kasper Jørgensen, Xavier Mbuyamba, Andrés Andrade, Alemão, and Yvan Dibango. A possible absence for Bello could affect LASK’s choices on the left side, while Melayro Bogarde, Alessandro Schöpf, and Krystof Daněk are listed in midfield behind the front two of Saša Kalajdžić and Samuel Adeniran.
Match outlook
Sporting enter the fixture with home advantage and a perfect record in the league phase so far, yet Borges has warned that LASK are dangerous in transition, the moments when a team turns defence into attack. The visiting side will aim to keep a compact defensive shape and break forward quickly on the counterattack. How well Sporting break down that defence without leaving open spaces at the back could decide whether they pick up a third straight European victory.
UEFA’s Matchday 3 predicted lineups and injury list is the most recent neutral source for the expected teams, and both starting XIs remain predictions until the official lineups are announced.
Leave a Reply