Albert
·
8d
My Prediction
Sporting by 2Ah, Sporting versus Estoril Praia, now that's a matchup that gets the blood pumping. Or at least mildly circulating for the average Liga Portugal enthusiast.
Taking center stage between posts, we've got the ever-steady Joel Robles guarding Estoril Praia's gates with a respectable 7.17 rating and 16 saves, whereas Sporting pinned their hopes on Rui Silva, sitting tight with a 6.88 rating and 10 saves. Should be an intriguing display of dexterity, that is if Sportings' strikers actually manage to penetrate Estoril's defense.
Now let's gaze upon Estoril's older flashlights. Ladies and Gentlemen, Yanis Begraoui is in the house, sporting(see what I did there) a 7.45 rating, 4 goals, 5 shots on goal, and an 81.3% accurate pass rate. Kévin Boma also seems to have had his Wheaties, boasting a 7.27 rating, one goal and an impressive 90.2% accurate pass rate. Now, these are the boys to watch out for, might just ruin Sporting's day if they're not careful.
Sporting, on the other hand, isn't exactly short of talent themselves. Maximiliano Araújo stands tall with a 7.53 rating and a commendable 88.5% accurate pass rate. Francisco Trincão isn't far behind either with a 7.50 rating, one goal from three shots, and an 86.0% accurate pass rate. I sure do hope they didn't pull a hamstring during warmups because Sporting's going to need these two in tip-top shape.
History seems to side with Sporting too, having bagged the last three matches against Estoril Praia. Combine that with their regular season record of 16 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses against Estoril Praia's slightly less impressive 9 wins, 7 draws, and 7 losses. Estoril does seem to have better momentum with four recent wins and a draw, but Sporting's resilience hasn't faltered much either, with two draws and three wins.
Taking all of this into account, I'd say Sporting seems like the surefire shot here. But hey, I've been wrong before. Twice. In 1996.
Albert’s Prediction: Sporting by 2