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Meeting in their fourth fourth friendly outing of the summer, Sporting welcome Nottingham Forest to Lisbon on Friday as both sides look to continue their unbeaten starts to pre-season.
Rui Borges' Sporting have been one of the standout performers during the opening weeks of preparation, recording convincing victories over Celtic, Strasbourg and Monaco while scoring 13 goals and conceding just once.
Forest, meanwhile, have also enjoyed a positive summer under new manager Oliver Glasner, beating Notts County and Blackburn Rovers before opening their Portugal training camp with a 1-1 draw against Vitoria.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Sporting vs Nottingham Forest key stats
- Sporting have scored 13 goals in three pre-season matches, including a 7-0 victory over Strasbourg.
- Leões scored 89 goals across 34 Primeira Liga matches last season, more than any other side.
- Oliver Glasner became Forest's fifth permanent manager in the last 12 months.
- Glasner guided Crystal Palace to their first major trophy by beating Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
Sporting vs Nottingham Forest preview: Hosts to continue impressive pre-season form?
Sporting vs Nottingham Forest — Tale of the Tape
| Sporting (25/26 Primeira Liga) | vs | Nottingham Forest (25/26 Premier League) |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Position | 18th |
| 82 | Points | 44 |
| 89 | Goals For | 48 |
| 24 | Goals Against | 51 |
| 15 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
| 2nd / 3rd | Home / Away Rank | 17th / 9th |
After falling six points short of a 22nd Portuguese top-flight title last season, Sporting enter the 2026-27 campaign determined to reclaim the trophy and win the Primeira Liga for the third time in four seasons.
The Lions were the division's highest scorers last term with 89 goals and also recorded the second-best defensive record after conceding just 24 times, but their efforts were ultimately not enough as Porto secured their 31st league crown.
Borges has overseen significant changes to his squad this summer, with Rodrigo Zalazar, Ibrahima Ba, Sergi Altimira and Issa Doumbia among the new arrivals at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
However, Sporting have also lost key attacking figures, with Francisco Trincao departing for Al Ahli after scoring 25 goals in 99 league appearances, while Geovany Quenda joined Chelsea in a reported £40m deal.
Despite those departures, their new-look squad has adapted quickly during pre-season.
Sporting began with a 4-1 win over Celtic before dismantling Strasbourg 7-0 and overcoming Monaco last week, with Borges' side now preparing for their final friendly before starting their league campaign against Estrela Amadora.
As for Forest, they arrive in the Portuguese capital also unbeaten during pre-season as they begin a new era under Glasner.
The Austrian coach was appointed on July 6 after Forest parted ways with Vitor Pereira despite the former manager guiding them to Premier League survival and a Europa League semi-final.
Forest eventually finished 16th in the Premier League last season, five points above the relegation zone, and will be hoping for a more comfortable campaign this time around.
Their transfer activity has been relatively quiet so far, with Xaver Schlager's free transfer from RB Leipzig their most notable arrival.
However, the club have significant funds available after Elliot Anderson joined Manchester City for a club-record £116m fee, a record that was later surpassed by Morgan Rogers' move to Chelsea just a few weeks later.
Glasner's side have six pre-season fixtures remaining before beginning their Premier League campaign starts with a home game against Leeds United.
Sporting vs Nottingham Forest form guide & betting tips
| Sporting | vs | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
W
L
W
W
W |
Form |
L
D
W
WD
|
| 17 | Goals For | 9 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 5 |
WWW |
Club Friendlies | WWD |
Whispers predicts: Sporting 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Sporting have been one of the standout performers during pre-season so far, scoring 13 goals across their opening three friendlies and looking sharp ahead of the new campaign.
The Lions are priced at 17/16 to claim another victory, and we expect their attacking quality to once again prove decisive against a Forest side still adapting under Oliver Glasner.
The visitors have also impressed during the summer and should have enough quality to find the net, making Both Teams To Score appealing at 2/5.
Luis Suarez could make his first appearance of pre-season after returning from World Cup duty with Colombia, and the forward is priced at 9/10 to score anytime.
Our exact score prediction is 3-1 to Sporting.
> Sporting to win at 17/16 | Likelihood: Probable
> BTTS – Yes at 2/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Luis Suarez to score anytime at 9/10 | Likelihood: Possible