The Daily Star Ireland
On Thursday, Moreirense will face Sporting Lisbon at Parque Joaquim de Almeida Freitas in a Primeira Liga match. Below, you’ll find predictions, stats, and the latest odds for the game.
Moreirense
Recent form: LWWLWL
Moreirense will be looking to recover from their 3-2 defeat to Rio Ave in their previous Primeira Liga match. They held 54% possession and had 11 shots, 2 of which were on target. Gabrielzinho scored their only goal (65′). Rio Ave, with 12 attempts, managed goals from Tiago Morais (26′), Clayton (46′), Aderllan Santos (49′ own goal), and Marios Vrousai (90′).
Under coach César Peixoto, Moreirense has netted 9 goals in their last 6 matches but has also conceded 8. Despite their struggles against Sporting Lisbon, where they haven’t won in the last 23 league meetings, they remain unbeaten in their last 7 home league games.
Sporting Lisbon
Recent form: WWWWLL
Sporting Lisbon will aim to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Santa Clara in their last outing. They dominated possession with 74% and had 21 shots, 4 of which were on target. Santa Clara, with only 4 attempts on goal, scored through Vinícius Lopes (33′).
Sporting has been involved in high-scoring games recently, with 3 or more goals in 5 of their last 6 matches, averaging 4.33 goals per game. They’ve scored 2.83 goals per match on average.
Sporting Lisbon has an excellent record against Moreirense, remaining unbeaten in their last 11 away league matches against them and in 17 consecutive away games overall.
Head-to-Head
In the last 10 encounters since November 2020, Sporting Lisbon has won 83% of the time. Over these matches, 13 goals were scored, with Sporting netting 11 of them. The most recent league encounter was on February 19, 2024, when Sporting Lisbon won 2-0, with goals from Hidemasa Morita (2′) and Pedro Gonçalves (23′).
Team News: Moreirense
Moreirense will be without Hernâni (ankle sprain) and Guilherme Liberato (knee ligament injury).
Team News: Sporting Lisbon
Sporting Lisbon will miss Pedro Gonçalves (muscle injury) and Nuno Santos (knee tendon injury) for this match.
Prediction
Moreirense is likely to create some scoring chances, but their defense could struggle. A tight 1-2 victory for Sporting Lisbon seems probable, with an intense and competitive game expected. Experts predict over 1.5 goals for this match.
