Sporting Lisbon make the trip to Rio Ave back on Wednesday evening, with one foot already in the final after establishing a two-goal cushion in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie.
The Lions are aiming to wrap up the job at Estadio dos Arcos to make it back-to-back appearances in the last two of the competition.
Match preview
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Rui Borges's men took a major step towards that goal with a convincing 2-0 win at Estadio Jose Alvalade three weeks ago, a result that serves as a timely injection of momentum in their pursuit of a domestic double.
Since that victory, Sporting have taken to the pitch three times in the Primeira Liga, drawing against Braga, before recording consecutive wins, starting with Santa Clara and most recently beating Moreirense 3-1 to remain top of the table on goal difference.
That result stretched the Lions's unbeaten run across all competitions to 12 matches, with eight of those featuring at least two goals scored, further underlining their attacking consistency and making the prospect of a Rio Ave comeback increasingly far-fetched.
Despite missing out on the Taca de Portugal crown last season following a loss to Porto in the final, Sporting have been relentless in their bid to go one better this time around and reclaim the title they last lifted in 2018-19.
Should they complete the task on Wednesday, it would set the stage for a Lisbon derby in the final, with Benfica virtually assured of their place following a dominant first-leg victory over Tirsense.
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Rio Ave, on the other hand, face a mountain to climb as they attempt to overturn a two-goal deficit in a fixture where they have not won by such a margin since 2016, when they stunned Sporting with a 3-1 league triumph that now feels a world away.
Since that opening-leg setback, the Vilacondenses have experienced mixed fortunes in the Primeira Liga, suffering a fifth consecutive defeat across all competitions in a 2-0 reverse to Boavista, before responding with a win by the same scoreline at Moreirense, followed by a 1-1 draw last time out against Santa Clara.
That result leaves Petit's side 11th in the table on 33 points, still nine clear of the relegation playoff spot, though their general form offers little in the way of encouragement ahead of this daunting trip to Lisbon.
Rio Ave have managed only two wins in their last 11 games across all competitions and have failed to score more than two goals in seven matches in this stretch, a return that hardly inspires belief in their ability to mount the kind of turnaround required.
Even more damning is their recent record in this fixture, where they have suffered defeat in eight of the last nine meetings and drawn blanks in seven of those, with their only decent scoring return in that run coming in a 3-3 draw which still proved insufficient to claim victory.
Still, the Vilacondenses will cling to the dream of replicating their memorable run of 2013-14, the only time they made it past this stage of the competition, though should the Vilacondenses conjure a miracle here, it would likely see them face the same opposition in Benfica, who denied them glory on that occasion.
Team News
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Rio Ave scaled through their last outing without picking up any fresh concerns, leaving Francisco Petrasso and Kiko Bondoso as the only players expected to remain sidelined, while Jonathan Panzo returns to the fold after serving a suspension.
Clayton will shoulder the responsibility in front of goal once again, with the Brazilian forward leading the club's scoring chart in this competition with four goals and widely expected to spearhead the attack.
Conrad Harder was unavailable in their most recent match due to suspension, but the twenty-year-old forward — who has scored four times in the Taca da Liga, the highest tally for Sporting — returns to bolster the frontline.
He is likely to compete with Viktor Gyokeres for the central striking role, although the Swede could be given the nod again after helping himself to a hat-trick in his previous appearance.
In terms of injuries, Sporting are set to travel without Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos, Joao Simoes, Daniel Braganca and Alexandre Brito.
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Miszta; Abbey, Ntoi, Panzo, Tome; Tiknaz; Aguilera, Graca, Morais, A.L; Clayton
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Silva; Inacio, Diamonde, Quaresma; Fresneda, Hjulmand, Debast, Araujo; Trincao, Catamo; Gyokeres
We say: Rio Ave 1-2 Sporting Lisbon
Sporting enter into this game with momentum on their side, so we expect the visitors to edge this one, even though Rio Ave will throw anything at them to pull off a comeback.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
