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Sporting CP v FC Porto
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Kick Off: Saturday 3rd August at 20:15
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Competition: Portuguese Super Cup Final
Despite Porto’s remarkable dominance in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, having won the trophy more times than all other teams combined, recent history reveals a more competitive landscape. After Benfica broke Porto’s impressive five-year winning streak in 2014, the trophy has been shared more evenly among the top clubs in Portugal.
Since then, Porto, Benfica, and Sporting have all taken turns claiming the title, underscoring the increasing competitiveness of Portuguese Football, as these three giants fight for supremacy to kickstart the Portuguese season.
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Sporting CP v FC Porto Best Bets
Although the upcoming Supertaça final is billed as a cup match, there is an understanding that both teams view it as a key step in their pre-season preparations.
Nevertheless, the recent Taça de Portugal final will undoubtedly linger in the players’ minds, with Sporting CP eager to take revenge for their previous defeat and Porto will be determined not to allow Sporting to gain an early advantage in 2024/25.
A strong bet for the match looks to be over 2.5 total goals at 2.0. In their last 14 games, Porto have achieved this outcome 12 times, including two encounters against Sporting, with results of 2-2 and 2-1. Similarly, Sporting have seen over 2.5 goals in 18 of their last 21 matches.
Looking specifically at pre-season form, Sporting are averaging 3.3 total goals per game, while Porto are even higher at 3.6. With odds of 2.0, this represents excellent value – suggesting there’s only a 50% chance of over 2.5 landing, possibly overlooked due to the perceived insignificance of the cup itself rather than the teams competing in the fixture.
📊 Sporting Form and Stats
Sporting concluded the 2023/24 league season in a manner that mirrored their impressive performance throughout the competition, finishing strong with four victories and one draw in their last five matches, all the while scoring 12 and conceding only 2.
This consistent form exemplified the pace-setting that Sporting maintained all season, conceding just 27.2 xG, the lowest in the league. Offensively, they finished second in xG created with 74.3 but significantly outperformed this metric by scoring an impressive 96 goals. A key contributor to this success has been Viktor Gyökeres, whose fantastic finishing allowed him to outperform his xG by 6.3.
Remarkably, Sporting only lost 2 matches throughout the entire league season, with their last defeat occurring back in December 2023. Their resilience led to an impressive ten-point gap ahead of second-place Benfica.
Despite this stellar league campaign, their only blemish on an otherwise exceptional record was a loss to upcoming opponents FC Porto in the Taça de Portugal final.
Sporting CP have picked up where they left off in pre-season, although their levels dropped off towards the end of the game against Union Saint-Gilloise. They have faced tough opponents in Sevilla and Athletic Club, winning 2-1 and 3-0, respectively.
📊 Porto Form and Stats
FC Porto will be disappointed with their 2023/24 league campaign, frustrated at losing to teams they really should be beating. Key losses to rivals Benfica and Sporting proved costly, and while both of those teams capitalised on their home advantage, Porto struggled to do the same, winning only 11 out of 17 home matches. This inconsistency limited their title aspirations, allowing Benfica and Sporting to pull ahead in the race for the championship.
One aspect FC Porto can take pride in is their defensive record, as they boasted the fewest goals conceded in the league, allowing just 27 goals throughout the season. They play a possession-based game, reflected in their impressive league-high average of 63.7% possession, which helps contribute to their defensive philosophy. Although, they struggle to create big chances, creating the fourth-most. The highlight of FC Porto’s season came with their 2-1 victory over Sporting CP in the Taça de Portugal final.
They have also enjoyed an impressive pre-season, like Sporting CP, but with the added advantage of having played two extra matches. While these games were against opponents they would typically expect to beat, the additional minutes on the pitch could give Porto a marginal edge in terms of match fitness and rhythm as the season begins.
⚔️ Sporting v Porto Head-to-Head
The 2024 Supertaça final will mark the 250th meeting between Sporting CP and FC Porto since their first encounter in 1922. In this long-standing rivalry, Porto hold a slight edge, winning approximately 37% of the fixtures compared to Sporting’s 34%. However, Sporting have been exceptionally dominant in Supertaça finals, winning all 8 of their finals against Porto, emphasising Sporting’s ability to rise to the occasion, especially considering Porto’s strong pedigree in the Supertaça.
FC Porto’s dominant period in the 2010s has been diluted by the resurgence of Benfica and Sporting CP, with Sporting faring better in recent years, though they have still managed to beat Porto only 7 times (excluding penalty shootouts) since 2010. This season, Sporting’s crucial victory in the league against Porto helped propel them towards the title and demonstrated their resurgence.
However, they could not capitalise on that momentum in the Taça de Portugal final, a feisty affair in which centre-half Jerry St Juste put Sporting ahead before being controversially sent off just nine minutes later. The match saw former Porto manager Sérgio Conceição receive a red card shortly after his son, Francisco, was booked, only adding to the drama.
As the two teams prepare for a rematch, the stakes are high, with Sporting touted as the best they have been this century, while Porto faces criticism for their performance, considered by many to be the worst in recent memory.
* We recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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