Sporting CP vs Manchester City Preview

Champions League - League Phase GW4

After losing back-to-back matches the team traveled to Portugal to take on Sporting in another Champions League match they’ll need to win and to stop the losing run. The last time these two faced off in Europe Manchester City came out as 5-0 winners but since then both clubs have come a long way and Matheus Nunes has swapped sides.

Previous Results

• Manchester City sit 2nd in the Premier League, losing the top spot after their loss to Bournemouth (2-1). Coming into the match against Sporting, having lost two games in a row, and going out to Spurs in the League Cup (2-1).

• Sporting CP have won all ten matches in the Liga Portugal this season, and sit eighth in the Champions League table. Beating Lille (2-0) and Sturm Graz (0-2), drawing against PSV (1-1).

Notable Injuries:

• Manchester City is without Oscar Bobb, Rodri, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, and John Stones.

• Sporting CP is without Nuno Santos and Eduardo Quaresma.

Interesting Sporting CP Stats:

• Viktor Gyokeres leads the team for G+A with 18 goals and 2 assists. Francisco Trincao has 10 (3G, 7A) and Pedro Goncalves has 9 (4G, 5A).

• Sporting has only conceded 2 goals in the Primeira Liga this season and scored 30 in ten matches. Allowing just 16 shots on target and keeping 7 clean sheets.

• Sporting under Amorim favors short passes (252 per 90) leading the Primeira Liga significantly but is midtable for most long passes completed (39.4). Manchester City completes 329 per 90 short passes in the Premier League this season.

Just to look back on the match in Portugal the last time each side played one another, Matheus Nunes is now playing for Manchester City, Joao Palhinha moved to Fulham and eventually to Bayern Munich, and Pedro Porro is starting right-back for Spurs.

On the City side, we won’t be seeing Stones, Dias, and Rodri through injury. Sterling, Mahrez, Cancelo, and Laporte have all been sold. Ederson is going to be rotated for Ortega in this match as Pep mentioned in his press conference.

It’s probably a good time for a refresh of Ruben Amorim and his tactics given the match this evening and that he’s moving to Manchester United. Out of possession, he wants his team to be aggressive pressing high, the CF preventing the single pivot from getting a pass and jumping up to the keeper when needed. Inside forwards can then pick up the split central defenders. Wing-backs can jump behind the inside forwards to support if the ball is forced wide.

When sat deeper in a block, the center-forward will be kept pushed up in position for a counter-attack, whether that’s to his feet or into the channels. A very simple pressing role for a CF. The midfielders are tasked with covering off the two opposition midfielders closest to the opponent’s goal. Any pass behind them is left for a center back to jump up for to intercept. It demands a lot of physicality for the role of a midfielder, to push up high to press but also cover ground in transition getting back.

Playing over the top of the press into Erling Haaland is one way Manchester City can have success against Sporting, to make their midfielders have to turn and run. Attack the space that will be left once a central defender jumps up. The other is to target their wing-backs who are expected to keep a high line next to their centre-backs. Diagonal balls over the back line will question their ability to defend 1v1 and win duels. It would make sense to push Rico Lewis or Gvardiol high up with the forward line to at least make it 1v1 if not find a 2v1 against a wing-back.

When Guardiola was asked yesterday about the differences between Sporting now vs the last time they faced each other.

I’m quite confident that if Dias and Stones were fit, at least one of them would be starting against Sporting but it is a concern that Akanji and Ake are struggling with some problems whilst having to take on the most in-form striker in Europe right now. If De Bruyne can return within the next few games then that’s huge for the team, provided his injury is not reoccurring. Hopefully more minutes from Savinho and Doku.

As I mentioned at the start, and Bernardo Silva did in his press conference, it’s vital for the team to get back to winning. Not only because it’s the standard but for the momentum that winning brings. It doesn’t get any easier with Brighton (A), Spurs (H) and Liverpool (A) to come.

O’Reilly, Wright, and Simpson-Pusey have all travelled to Portugal so do not be surprised to see any of them pick up minutes in the second half. Would like to see James McAtee involved at some stage.

Final Predictions

One to Watch: 

He’s one of the most in-form players this season, scoring an incredible amount of goals since arriving at Sporting. 29 goals in 32 league starts last season. 16 goals in 10 starts this season. Gyokeres will be in a position to counterattack all matches and prepared to jump on any turnovers Sporting can force. After the loss to Bournemouth, he’ll fancy his chances against Man City. At 26 years of age, in this form, a move has to be on the cards in the summer.

Predicted Lineup:

Predicted Score: Sporting CP 0 - 2 Manchester City

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