Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting Cp Match Preview and Prediction

By John


 Tottenham's Premier League (PL) title challenge is teetering with increasing instability after their perfect home record across all competitions this season came to an end (W7, L1) with a 1-2 loss to the high-flying Magpies from Newcastle. It was the last thing a frustrated Antonio Conte needed with the quickfire schedule rolling at full pace and the pressure building in Group D of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League (UCL).


Conte was reduced to pleading publicly for a significant purse to splurge with during the next transfer window as he struggles to account for Tottenham's workload as well as the injuries to key players Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison. Anything is possible now that their London fortress has been breached, though they have avoided the humiliation of three consecutive competitive losses for more than 18 months now, so their consistency could shine through in what will be their 50th UCL match (from the group stage onwards).


Sporting Lisbon put their own duo of defeats behind them by returning back to the top four of Portugal's Primeira Liga, and a repeat of their 2-0 triumph over Tottenham in the reverse fixture would certainly  continue elevating the rising stocks of manager Rúben Amorim, who is reportedly now being courted by Aston Villa to replace Steven Gerrard.


It's a really tight affair in Group D with no side yet out of the qualification picture, although Sporting will remain behind Marseille if the head-to-head tiebreak is required, so they really need something from this game if they hope to progress. They've already claimed one surprise scalp away from home in this group stage, thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 as underdogs, though it'll be a challenge to replicate such success considering they're without a win from any of their last eight UEFA trips to England (D3, L5).


Players to watch: It's worth noting that leading Tottenham goal scorer Harry Kane has failed to find the net in three of their four group stage games this season, saving the bulk of his scoring for English soil. Young forward Francisco Trincão was on the scoresheet in both of Sporting's away outings in this group stage, albeit with mixed results (W1, L1).


Hot stat: All but one of Sporting's last 14 away games in all competitions finished with a winner (W8, L5).

Fottennis Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3 Sporting Cp 1

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for dropping your comment

Popular posts from this blog

Atalanta vs Napoli Match Preview and Prediction

By John
Image
Serie A's (SA) top two collide at the Gewiss Stadium as Atalanta welcome runaway leaders Napoli to Bergamo. The absence of European football has helped La Dea to their best-ever points total at this stage of a season (27), yet they still trail the league leaders by five points. Gian Piero Gasperini's men responded to their first defeat of the season with a 2-0 victory at Empoli last time out, and have had a full week on the training pitch to prepare for this showdown. Home form has been a serious issue for Atalanta in 2022, winning just four SA games on their own turf this calendar year (D7, L5). Welcoming Napoli is hardly likely to inspire confidence among the home faithful, given they've seen their side lose four of the last seven SA H2Hs on their own soil, including a 3-1 defeat here in April, a trend they'll have to buck to close the gap at the top of the division. Napoli travel north on the back of their first defeat in any competition since April, as Liverpool end
Read more

Benfica Vs Juventus Match Preview and Prediction

By John
Image
This is a pivotal UEFA Champions League (UCL) clash for both Benfica and Juventus, with the hosts in the driving seat. Coming into the round, they are top and level with Paris Saint-Germain on eight points meaning a win would guarantee a top-two finish in Group H, though a draw would also suffice if Maccabi Haifa fail to overcome PSG at the Parc des Princes. However, there is no doubt that the Portuguese outfit will be backing themselves to get the job done without help from others, especially considering the form they are in. Benfica's last competitive defeat came back in May against Porto, which was a loss they avenged this past weekend after beating their title rivals 1-0 in domestic action, extending their unbeaten competitive run to 20 matches (W17, D3). They also boast a formidable home record in Europe, losing just three of their last 23 outings (W14, D6) at the Estádio da Luz. That will be a concern for visiting Juventus whose Champions League ambitions are hanging by a thr
Read more

UEFA Results and Analysis

By John
Image
  Fottennis gives you the result, analysis and statistics of matches played in this  European competition.  Bayer Leverkusen failed to get qualification into the knockout stages of the UCL after playing a goalless draw with Club Brugge. The German club at least managed to qualify for the Europa League as they finished above Atletico Madrid with a better H2H performance. FC Porto rose as high as the top of Group B after a deserved 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, this is their first victory after six attempts and they have condemned Atletico Madrid to total elimination from Europe before Christmas Bayern Munich broke a record today, becoming the first team ever to finish three different group stages with a 100% record. Goals from Benjamin Pavard and Chupo-Moting gave them their sixth win from six UCL matches this season. Liverpool got their revenge on Napoli, ending Napoli's unbeaten start to the UCL campaign in the process. Salah and Darwin Nunez ensured victory at the death for Live
Read more

Juventus vs Empoli Match Preview and Prediction

By John
Image
 Two consecutive 2-0 defeats, including one at the hands of Israeil side Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League, plunged Juventus further into crisis and piled on even more pressure on under-fire boss Massimiliano Allegri. Perhaps stung by those setbacks and an unwanted training retreat, the players responded to record a crucial 1-0 Derby della Mole victory over Torino in their last Serie A (SA) outing. Every game is a must-win now for Allegri and next up are a tricky Empoli side who won here 1-0 in August 2021 in what was incidentally his first SA home match of his second stint as Juventus boss. Juventus have at least already started their home resurgence, winning consecutive matches here and netting exactly three goals in each to soothe building pressure on Allegri. The last time Juve scored 3+ goals in more than two straight home outings was way back in March 2021, whilst they could also now register three victories in a row at the Allianz Stadium for the first time since the January
Read more

Antwerp ATP Order of Play

By John
Image
  Dominic Thiem saved three match points today as he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in three sets, he will face Sebastian Korda who defeated Yoshihito Nishioka to reach this stage. Thiem has finally gotten his form back and we have seen the way he's been playing over a few weeks, tomorrow is another test for him, facing Korda who has been top notch in recent times, Korda reached the finals of the Gijon Open last week in the same competition Thiem participated in. Can he make it two finals in two weeks? We will know when they play against each other by 15:30 GMT. The second semi final of the day will see Richard Gasquet go head to head vs Felix Auger-Alliasime. Felix had a thought match today vs Daniel Evans and he had to wait for the third set before he could win. Gasquet was able to beat Goffin in two sets yesterday but he won't be having that type of match up when he faces Felix by 17:30 GMT tomorrow. Felix needs this match most as he's in the race to the ATP finals in Turin, w
Read more