Sporting Lisbon travel to Arouca in Friday's gameweek five action in the Primeira Liga, looking to continue their 100% start at Estadio Municipal de Arouca. The hosts could slide into the relegation spots in the embryonic table if they lose, while the defending champions hope the hiatus has not slowed their early-season momentum.
After having a fortnight to regroup, Gonzalo Garcia hopes to find solutions and catch Sporting on a rare bad day when they host the defending league champions on Friday. Arouca netted one goal in both meetings with Sporting last season, conceding five times and losing the corresponding fixture 3-0, and a repeat is plausible given the table-topping outfit's goal-laden start to 2024-25.
The side leading after four games have started the new term just as they concluded their title-winning campaign, notching four straight wins to own the league's only unblemished record. Amorim's side got the better of fierce rivals Porto before the international break, with Viktor Gyokeres and Geny Catamo scoring in the final quarter to clinch a 2-0 triumph to secure their first victory in four games against the Dragons and avenge defeats in last season's cup final and this term's curtain raiser.
Maximum points saw Leoes head into the hiatus as the only club without dropping points — Vitoria beat the previously unblemished Famalicao in round four — and they aim to keep that streak going against the league's 14th-placed side. No club has notched anywhere near Sporting's 16 goals — Santa Clara come closest with eight — and Amorim will back his players to pick up where they left off against a struggling home side that have lost three of four top-flight games this term.
Arouca's Struggles
Just when Arouca thought the corner was turned with a victory against Nacional in the penultimate fixture before the September international break, a 1-0 loss at Rio Ave dampened supporters' joy after the previous game's 1-0 triumph. Apart from the 3-1 road defeat by Moreirense, games involving Arouquenses this term have been settled by one goal, with an opening-day sending-off preventing Lobos from mounting an effective comeback while their loss at Rio Ave before the international break was settled with a Clayton penalty before half time.
Sporting Lisbon's Dominance
Only Porto have avoided defeat to Sporting — a 2-2 draw in the final weeks of 2023-24— in the last 16 league matches, and the away side aim to clinch a 16th win in 17 Primeira Liga matches on Friday. Sporting's dominance is evident in their goal-scoring prowess. They have netted a league-high 16 goals this season, highlighting their attacking flair. The Lions are also remarkably consistent, having won seven of their last eight league games on the road.
Team News
Arouca
Lobos are without the injured Kouassi Eboue and Quaresma Correia, struggling with muscle complaints, as well as Nino Galovic (knee) and Jose Fontan (hamstring). Cristo Gonzalez has departed Arouca for Al Sadd only a year after signing from Udinese, and the home side have to do without last season's 15-goal forward in 34 league appearances.
Sporting Lisbon
Amorim is not expected to have the trio of Jerry St. Juste (thigh), Diogo Pinto and Vladan Kovacevic (both have ankle issues) available on Friday — Franco Israel could step in for Kovacevic between the sticks.
Key Players
Arouca
Arouca will need to find a way to score against a dominant Sporting defense. Their key players will need to step up and try to create chances to secure a positive result.
Sporting Lisbon
Gyokeres has already netted seven goals this season, four more than teammate Pedro Goncalves and Porto's Wenderson Galeno, and the striker seeks to add to his tally at Arouca. Having created more big chances than anyone in the top division after three games, Goncalves (six) and Catamo (four) could hurt the hosts with their adeptness at fashioning goalscoring chances for colleagues.
Prediction
Despite the hiatus, any other outcome but a Sporting victory will be surprising, despite the threat of the international break possibly causing a dip in momentum. Regardless, Amorim's side should dispatch a struggling Arouca to continue their perfect start to this season's title defence.
How To Watch
Sporting CP will be confident of picking up their fifth win in a row when they take on Arouca in the Liga Portugal at the Municipal de Arouca on Friday. The match will be shown live on Fubo, Fanatiz and GolTV in the US. Live updates can be found here on GOAL.
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
The match will be played at the Municipal de Arouca on Friday, with kick-off at 3.15 pm EST for fans in the US.
Final Thoughts
Arouca and Sporting Lisbon will compete in the 5th round of the Portuguese Primeira on September 13, 2024. The grandee from the capital of Portugal will come to visit an opponent, which has started weakly, only for a victory.
The guests are clearly stronger and should convert this into a confident victory even on the away field. We bet that the team from the capital will win with “a -1.5 goal handicap” (odd: 1.68).
