(Football news) Sporting and Tottenham Hotspur will hope to maintain their winning start in the Champions League when the two teams clash today at the Estadio Jose Alvalade Stadium. The Portuguese side defeated Frankfurt 3-0 last week while Spurs defeated 10-man Marseille 2-0 at their home stadium. 23 year old Marcus Edwards, who played for Spurs previously, will have a point to prove against his former side and looks to be in good form after getting a goal and an assist against Frankfurt. The Portuguese side defeated Portimonense 4-0 in the league and will want to carry that momentum against more formidable opponents and finally end their barren run against English teams.
As for Tottenham, the London based side didn’t play this weekend due to Queen Elizabeth II’s passing and Antonio Conte’s team have had plenty of time to prepare for this fixture. Spurs are currently unbeaten this season but have won only one out of three away games so far. The two sides have never faced each other before and it will be interesting to see how the game plays out between two opponents who are unfamiliar with each other. In team news, Sporting defender Jeremiah St Juste is unavailable due to injury while Goncalo Inacio and Luis Neto are also doubtful. Manager Amorim may opt either one of Pedro Porro or Ricardo Esgaio at centre-back while Matheus Reis and Manuel Ugarte should feature in the starting lineup.
As for Spurs, Lucas Moura is currently recovering from a tendon injury which means Conte can name an unchanged starting XI with Richarlison and Clement Lenglet being selected over Dejan Kulusevski and Ben Davies. If Ricarlison manages to score another brace this time around, he will become the second player since Diego Simeone in 1996 to score four goals in the opening two games of Europe’s elite club competition. Despite the hosts being in good form, Tottenham should narrowly seal the victory in this fixture and maintain their unbeaten run.
Also read: Champions League: Wounded Liverpool looking to make amends against Ajax
