Estoril vs Sporting

In order to extend their winning streak in the Primeira Liga to five games, Estoril Praia, led by Ian Cathro, will take on Sporting Lisbon in gameweek seven at Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Friday.

By coming back from a two-point deficit at Rio Ave., the host team avoided defeat; but, Ruben Amorim's team is not predicted to give up points from such a favorable position if a rematch takes place this weekend.

While Estoril has only won once this season (2024–25), since Cathro moved to Lisbon and resolved work visa concerns, the team's performances have improved.

After two losses to Santa Clara (4-1) and Vitoria Guimaraes (1-0) and two goalless games against Gil Vicente and Boavista in the first four rounds, the Canaries defeated Nacional 1-0 in gameweek five.

The game's flow demonstrated Estoril's improvement under their new manager, even though they managed to salvage a draw after trailing 2-0 at the hour mark. Last week, a three-match streak without conceding ended at Rio Ave.

That point demonstrated the team's increasing confidence, even though Friday's Lisbon derby against the league's reigning champions could pop their bubble.

The 20-time Portuguese champions have won six straight games in this head-to-head match, while the hosts are hoping to avoid losing for the seventh time in a row.

Estoril faces a difficult challenge in their six games against the only Portuguese top-tier squad that has not lost, as Amorim's team has started their title defense with six victories out of a possible six.

The team that is favored hopes to win seven times, with their best performance during that period coming in a 2-0 victory over Porto prior to the first international break of 24-25 in September.

Leoes will likely be more pleased with their current streak of league clean sheets, which stands at five in all competitions and four in the Primeira Liga, including their Champions League start against Lille.

Nigel Thomas of Nacional was the last opponent to score against the reigning Portuguese champions; his goal ignited Sporting, as they went on to score five goals without answering in their 6-1 triumph against the promoted team in gameweek two.

The Lions' superiority in this encounter is demonstrated by their five clean sheets and six-match winning streak. Estoril's lone goal during that time came in the 5-1 victory in the previous season's rematch; Amorim's team hopes for another victory this Friday.