Sporting Lisbon vs Feirense Predictions

Sporting came out of the Lisbon derby with credit on Saturday night, after earning a 1-1 draw at bitter rivals Benfica. They crossed the city and came out with a point, despite a really tough summer which saw many of their stars leave. However, the Lions aren’t as far behind the Primeira Liga’s bit two as many would have you believe. They meet Feirense this weekend, who are among four sides who currently sit level on seven points at the top of the table. Can the hosts continue their unbeaten start here, or are they going to slip away after making progress last weekend?

The hosts have made an unbeaten start to the new campaign, after coming through that meeting with Benfica. They’re looking to break in to the top two this season, with just two places on offer in next season’s Champions League. The Lions have shown that they’re in contention with the top sides, but they have to keep up their form to keep the pace at the top. Last season all of Portugal’s big three were close to perfect against the lower placed sides in the Primeira Liga, so there’s little room for a mistake in their home matches.

Feirense missed the chance to take the lead in the Primeira Liga last weekend. They were the last side with a perfect record ahead of their clash with Boavista, but they could only draw 1-1 at home in that clash. However, that continued their unbeaten start, and they head in to this visit to Sporting knowing that they’ve got a healthy points tally to their name. However, the joint-leaders have previous when it comes to good starts – they took eight points from their first four games last season, before finishing third from bottom.

Sporting should expect to beat a side who finished that low last season. The Lions were unbeaten at home last time out, winning against every side from fifth down. They racked up the goals across the campaign, scoring at home to every side who finished below them. That includes a win over Feirense, and the Lions should find the net this weekend.

However, Feirense have looked strong going forward during their unbeaten start. They’ve scored in all four competitive games this term, and they head to a Sporting side who have huge defensive issues. The hosts lost goalkeeper Rui Patricio and anchorman William Carvalho in the summer, and since then they’ve conceded in every Primeira Liga game this term. As a result, we’re backing both teams to score in Saturday’s meeting.