Sporting Lisbon and Brugge play two important away games on Friday night. In Portugal, Sporting meets Casa Pia in the 10th round, while in Belgium, Brugge visits Zulte Waregem. Both games are important for teams pursuing different goals at the top of the standings.
Casa Pia – Sporting Lisbon starts at 20:15 local time, or 22:15 Bulgarian time, at the “Municipal de Rio Mayor“ stadium. The guests occupy third place with 18 points, but are nine behind leader Porto and four behind second-placed Benfica.
Sporting's position is further complicated by the latest championship result. The team lost 1-2 at home to newcomers Académico Viseu, their first defeat in the league. During the week, Rui Borges' team beat Maritimo 2-1 in the League Cup and qualified for the last four.
Pressure on Sporting ahead of the away game
Coach Rui Borges said before the match that “at “Alvalade“ we feel this pressure a little more”. According to Portuguese media, his future at the helm of the team is among the main topics surrounding the match, but the coach himself focused on the upcoming match.
Casa Pia is 16th with 7 points. The team has won its last two matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 win against Estrela Amadora in the league. At the same time, the hosts lost all four of their championship matches at the Rio Mayor stadium.
Sporting will be without Zeno Debast, Rodrigo Salazar and Nuno Santos due to injuries. After the away game in Rio Mayor, the team has a new test in the Champions League - a visit from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Club Brugge defends second place
In Belgium, Club Brugge visits Zulte Waregem at 20:45 local time, or 21:45 in Bulgaria. Club Brugge is second with 24 points from nine matches and is only one point behind leader Gent. The squad has eight wins and one loss in the championship.
Club Brugge's form is even more impressive in all competitions - seven consecutive successes. The last of them was a 3-2 win against Sint-Truiden, with Nicolo Tresoldi scoring three goals. Club Brugge have already beaten Internazionale away in the Champions League, and after the match with Zulte Waregem they will visit PSV Eindhoven.
The hosts are tenth with 11 points and are in a difficult period. Zulte Waregem have lost four consecutive matches in the championship, the last defeat was 0-3 to La Louvière. Coach Michael Beale said: “We have to stay optimistic and show even more pride and passion“.
The two matches are part of the 10th round in Portugal and Belgium and could change the differences at the top of the standings. Sporting need a win to keep the leaders from slipping away, while Brugge are chasing a win that could temporarily take them to the top.
Sources: noticiasaominuto.com, voetbalkrant.com, sportsmole.co.uk