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Sporting Lisbon welcome Champions League debutants LASK Linz to Estadio Jose Alvalade on Wednesday, with the Portuguese hosts aiming to extend their winning start in the league phase against visitors who have yet to collect a point.
Rui Borges’s side have made an encouraging start to their European campaign and will look to strengthen their chances of a top-eight finish, currently sitting sixth in the table, while the 33rd-placed Austrian visitors arrive in Lisbon hoping to build on a morale-boosting domestic victory after two difficult outings on the continental stage.
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. LASK key stats
- Sporting have won seven of their 10 competitive matches this season.
- LASK are winless in their last 10 group stage/league phase fixtures on the continental front.
- Luis Suarez has found the net in each of his nine starts for Sporting this season.
- Sporting have scored three or more goals in three of their five home matches this term.
Sporting vs. LASK preview: Portuguese hosts looking to extend their European winning run
Sporting vs Lask — Tale of the Tape
| Sporting | vs | Lask |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd (Primeira Liga) | Position | 3rd (Austian Bundesliga) |
| 18 | Points | 19 |
| 20 | Goals For | 23 |
| 9 | Goals Against | 9 |
| 2 | Clean Sheets | 4 |
| 2nd (H) | Home / Away Rank | 1st (A) |
Sporting have established themselves as regular participants in the Champions League in recent seasons, and their current campaign has started positively under Rui Borges after they reached the quarter-finals last term before losing to eventual runners-up Arsenal.
The Portuguese side began this season’s league phase with a convincing victory over Galatasaray before travelling to France and recording a 2-0 success against Lens, leaving them well placed to challenge for another place in the knockout rounds.
Sporting have also demonstrated their ability to perform consistently against Austrian opposition, having won their last three matches against clubs from that country, all against Sturm Graz, giving them another reason to approach Wednesday’s fixture confidently.
With no domestic match over the weekend, Borges’s players have had additional time to prepare for the visit of LASK, and they will be keen to take advantage of familiar surroundings to strengthen their position in the Champions League standings.
LASK are experiencing the demands of the Champions League main stage for the first time, and their opening two fixtures have highlighted the challenge of competing against established European opponents after they lost 1-0 away to AEK Athens before suffering a 6-3 home defeat against Liverpool.
The Austrian side showed some attacking spirit against Liverpool despite falling well behind, as Florian Flecker scored twice in quick succession during the closing stages, although their late response could not disguise the defensive problems that had already put the contest beyond reach.
Dietmar Kuhbauer’s team did at least return to winning ways domestically at the weekend, recording a 4-0 victory over Austria Lustenau that ended a four-match winless sequence across competitions and offered some encouragement before their trip to Portugal.
LASK can also draw confidence from their previous encounters with Sporting, having won two of the three meetings between the clubs in the Europa League, including a 4-1 victory in Lisbon, although repeating that result will require a much stronger defensive display than they produced against Liverpool.
Sporting vs. LASK preview form guide & betting tips
| Sporting | vs | Lask |
|---|---|---|
WDDWW |
Form | DWLLW |
| 11 | Goals For | 12 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 12 |
WW |
UEFA Champions League | LL |
Whispers predicts: Sporting 3-1 LASK
Sporting to win and over 2.5 goals at 1.44 (4/9) looks appealing because the hosts have started their European campaign confidently and should have enough attacking quality to take control against a LASK side that has conceded heavily in this season’s competition.
Luis Suarez to score anytime at 1.67 (4/6) is also worth considering, as the striker has already made an impact in both of Sporting’s league-phase fixtures and could benefit from the opportunities created by the hosts’ attacking approach.
Backing Sporting to score over 2.5 team goals at 1.67 (4/6) offers another option for those expecting the Portuguese side to make their home advantage count, particularly after their recent performances against Galatasaray and Lens.
A 3-1 Sporting victory is available at 9/1 (10.00), with Borges’s men expected to create enough chances to secure a third consecutive European win while LASK could still find a way through if they reproduce the attacking urgency shown late against Liverpool.
> Match result – Sporting Lisbon to win at 1.22 (2/9) | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 1.30 (3/10) | Likelihood: Probable
> Sporting win and over 2.5 goals at 1.44 (4/9) | Likelihood: Possible
> Anytime scorer – Luis Suarez at 1.67 (4/6) | Likelihood: Possible
> Sporting over 2.5 team goals at 1.67 (4/6) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score – Sporting Lisbon 3-1 LASK Linz at 10.00 (9/1) | Likelihood: Ousider