Portugal League Cup semi-final, Tuesday, 07.01.2025 at 20:45
As is the case in many other European countries, the short period immediately after the New Year is also used in Portugal to determine the national League Cup or Super Cup winner.
No wonder, as the soccer calendar in 2025 is still packed with events. In Leiria, meanwhile, SCP fans can neither look forward to home advantage nor to their boys being favorites among betting providers with PayPal. In fact, the odds are almost even.
Nevertheless, according to my Sporting Lisbon Porto betting tip, there are good reasons to believe that there will be a green-white final in the end.
What kind of drama was it when the “lions” from Lisbon only managed a 4:4 draw against Vitoria Guimaraes the other day? With a 3:1 lead, everything initially looked like a dream start to the new year, but then came the collapse.
The second half was a wild ride that Lisbon fans would rather forget. At least Francisco Trincão saved the club’s honor with his late equalizer.
However, this result is a clear setback in the fight for the championship, and now the “green and whites” are under pressure in the League Cup. A win against Porto is needed to keep their chances of winning their first title of the season alive.
Sporting had previously impressed in the prestigious capital derby against Benfica with a narrow 1:0 victory. Geny Catamo’s goal was the match-winner and gave the “green-whites” the lead in the table – at least temporarily.
The “Lions” currently have 13 wins from 17 games, two defeats and two draws, making their overall record almost flawless.
Although the Lisbon side now lead the league with 41 points, Porto are also breathing down their necks – just one point behind and with one game less to play.
An exciting three-headed race for the championship is therefore in the offing and the upcoming clash in the League Cup semi-finals can also be used as an opportunity to find out just how strong FC Porto really are.
Porto have certainly been in top form so far. After all, the Dragons are unbeaten in seven games and recently got off to a confident start with a 2-0 win over Moreirense in the League Cup.
They also picked up important points against Midtjylland in the Europa League. So the motivation seems to be right.
However, the “blue and whites” also have a few downsides: their defense has been weakened by injuries to Wendell and Marcano, and Marko Grujic is missing as an important pillar in midfield.
The match will also be exciting because their opponents are also facing personnel challenges. Sporting will still be without Pedro Goncalves, who has been out since November with a muscle injury.
Gonçalo Inacio and Daniel Bragança are also missing, while Nuno Santos is also not an option following a serious knee injury.
Meanwhile, Vitor Gyökeres, who once again proved why he is one of the most dangerous attackers in the league with his hat-trick against Guimaraes, remains the hope of the green and white masses. With a total of 48 goals this season, he is the man to watch out for.
This leads us directly to the section dedicated to all the Sporting Lisbon Porto tips that I think have a good chance of success at attractive odds.
Porto, for example, have not found a way to beat Lisbon in regular time since February 2023 (3 draws, 2 defeats).
Although a double chance 1X bet at odds of around 1.43 is also recommended at this point, I prefer the slightly better Sporting promotion odds of around 1.85. After all, the SCP should have a little more energy shortly after the New Year.
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Conclusion: We can expect an intense cup fight, which has almost become a tradition between these two clubs.
Nevertheless, I see Sporting Lisbon as the slight favorites. Gyökeres is in top form, has just scored a hat-trick and has already proven several times in the past that he knows how to score goals, especially against Porto.
My Sporting Lisbon Porto betting tip therefore assumes that the “green-whites” will reach the final. If it’s still a draw after 90 minutes, I think they’ll be much more capable of stepping up the pace late on.
My tip: Sporting Lisbon qualify
