January 6, 2025. 9:45 pm. Leiria. Magalhães Pessoa Stadium
Portuguese League Cup. Semi-final
Sporting (Lisbonne) – Porto
Possible absences: Marcus Edwards, Nuno Santos, Pote, Daniel Bragança – Francisco Moura, Marko Grujić
The country’s top four teams reached the semi-finals of the Portuguese League Cup. In the history of the tournament, there have only been two genuine upsets, with clubs outside the top four coming out on top. The first came in 2008 when Vitória Setúbal beat Sporting in the final. It was the first edition of the Portuguese League Cup, having started in the 2007–08 season. In 2017, Moreirense triumphed against Braga in the final. Some teams reached the final but ended up losing: Vitória Setúbal, Rio Ave, Gil Vicente, Paços de Ferreira and Estoril (last year). Let’s not forget Marítimo, who are the only club in the history of the tournament to reach the League Cup final twice and lose it each time.
Sporting
The arrival of Rui Borges as Sporting’s head coach continues to raise many questions. Time has shown that the victory over Benfica is less a success for the new Lions coach than a reflection of a crisis in Bruno Lage’s team, which we will address in another preview. Rui Borges failed to triumph over his former club in the match on matchday 17. The 4-4 draw against Gimarães (even away) is undoubtedly a bad result for Sporting. It’s not just because they lost points; this match revealed all the weaknesses of the Lions. Conceding four goals for a club that had previously conceded just 10 in 16 matches is simply unacceptable. And these goals were not conceded to Porto, Benfica or even Braga, but rather to Gimarães, who themselves are going through a crisis, having not won a match in Primeira for five games.
But that’s not even the worst for Sporting. What really alarmed everyone was that Gimarães played better and created more chances! If it wasn’t for Sporting’s world-class players (Dökeresh!), who converted almost all of their chances, this match could have ended much worse for the Lisbon club. So, the upcoming match against Porto raises concerns for everyone at Sporting.
Porto
The Porto management was extremely angry that the match against Nacional on the 17th day of the Primeira was not completed. Despite heavy fog, the referee allowed play to begin but was forced to stop it in the 16th minute due to near-zero visibility. The clubs agreed to resume the match the following day, but due to unfavorable weather forecasts, the Portuguese Football Federation decided that the match should be played on 15 January. On this day there are also Portuguese Cup matches, but Porto were knocked out of that tournament at an early stage, leaving them with a free window. However, this did not suit the Dragons, because the flight to Madeira is considered quite difficult and long – two hours each way. Additionally, good weather for matches on the islands is rare except in summer, early fall and late spring. Additionally, Porto was only able to return home the next day due to weather conditions. However, Vítor Bruno assures that this only irritated the team, and the players will be “charged” for the fight in the match against Sporting.
Sporting – Porto: Probable teams
Sporting – Porto: Author’s prediction
All matches of the final stages of the Portuguese League Cup (two semi-finals and the final) take place in the same city – Leiria. Therefore, there will be no home advantage for either team (tickets are distributed evenly among fans of both clubs). Based on Sporting’s performance against Vitória Gimarães on Matchday 17 of the Primeira, I would lean towards Porto. I suggest betting on the Dragons to progress to the final.
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