Belenenses vs Sporting Clube de Portugal
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Today’s free tip is in the Portuguese Liga 1 derby between Belenenses and Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Sporting Clube de Portugal enter this game as Portugal’s form team. I find that staggering as FC Porto and SL Benfica are both comfortably better than them on paper, and have been for a while. However, Sporting Clube de Portugal have been functioning on a rather efficient basis. They struggle like crazy to get that opener, but at the moment there’s not a better team in Portugal when it comes to seeing out games from a winning position because of their speedy counters.
That’s why so many teams sit back against Sporting Clube de Portugal. It nearly earned Farense a point last time out too. Sporting Clube de Portugal seem resolute enough to break teams down nowadays. Having a poacher like Sporar helps, of course. It’s not necessarily his finishing that ticks the box for me, but more his movement and positioning. Sporting Clube de Portugal are a bit predictable when it comes to attacking teams, just relying on speed in wide positions to break them down. Sporar affords them a more conventional route to goal, and other players can play off him rather well.
Santos, Cabral, Plata – they all have their moments. None of them look good enough to be playing for a team at the top of the table, though. No, that’s where midfielder Goncalves comes in. With ten goals in nine appearances, a big move is almost certainly going to come his way in the coming months, as well as wonderkid Nuno Mendes. These fellas are carrying Sporting Clube de Portugal. This still isn’t a good team – but they’re in a good moment, and they’re confident. I would not trust them to win most games with this squad, to be honest, but it’s up to you if you do.
Like I said above, what Sporting Clube de Portugal struggle with is a team that parks the bus, and Belenenses will do that in this derby. They’ve been doing it rather well this season too, even beating Sporting Braga earlier in the season by playing that way. I’d expect nothing less from a team managed by Petit either. They may not have much quality but with such a cracking former holding midfielder at the helm, it’s unsurprising that this team’s defensive organisation is as impressive as it is. Rio Ave have been held here too, which is yet another fluid attacking team.
Sporting Clube de Portugal really do hate playing against teams like these. I remember watching them trying to come from behind at home against Gil Vicente back in October, and how they won that game I’ll never know. They were getting nowhere, getting desperate with shots fired from range, and running out of time. However, one mistake at the back allowed them in, and from there Gil Vicente crumbled, eventually conceding three goals in the last ten minutes of the match. I’m not sure Belenenses will crumble like that, especially not in a derby.
They’ve got some really experienced options in their squad, Belenenses, like Varela and Cardoso. They seldom panic, and they’re not all that fussed about actually trying to win games. They simply want to frustrate opposing teams, and they do it rather well. Don’t get me wrong; if they fall behind, they’re in trouble because getting back into games does not suit them one little bit. However, when it comes to stopping teams, Belenenses have been remarkably adept under Petit – and I suspect they will be against an extremely overrated Sporting Clube de Portugal side tonight.
Barring an early goal, this game should cruise under 2.5 goals.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Sunday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Antwerp vs Sporting Charleroi
Racing Genk vs Waasland-Beveren
RSC Anderlecht vs Germinal Beerschot
KV Mechelen vs Royal Excel Mouscron
Brazilian Serie A:
Athletico Paranaense vs Vasco da Gama
Botafogo vs Corinthians
Bahia vs Internacional
Santos vs Ceara
Palmeiras vs RB Bragantino
Gremio vs Atletico Goianiense
English Premier League:
Leeds United vs Burnley
West Ham United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Liverpool vs West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Maccabi Petah Tikva vs Bnei Sakhnin
Ironi Kiryat Shmona vs Hapoel Kfar Saba
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva
Italian Serie B:
Reggiana vs Reggina
Ascoli vs SPAL
Chievo Verona vs Cittadella
Cosenza vs Pisa
Frosinone vs Pordenone
Lecce vs Vicenza
Venezia vs Salernitana
Virtus Entella vs Pescara
Brescia vs Empoli
Cremonese vs Monza
Dutch Eredivisie:
FC Utrecht vs AZ Alkmaar
Portuguese Liga 1:
Famalicao vs Gil Vicente
CD Nacional de Madeira vs Tondela
Farense vs Pacos de Ferreira
Belenenses vs Sporting Clube de Portugal
Portuguese Liga 2:
Chaves vs Academica de Coimbra
Penafiel vs SL Benfica II
Turkish Super Lig:
Gazisehir Gaziantep vs Alanyaspor
Yeni Malatyaspor vs BB Erzurumspor
Denizlispor vs Ankaragucu
Istanbul BB vs Kasimpasa
Enjoy your free betting tips!