Rúben Amorim knows how Tuesday’s Champions League meeting between Sporting CP and Manchester City will be viewed. In the next Manchester United manager’s own words, a home win would have some label him the “new Alex Ferguson” before his arrival at Old Trafford later this month.
By Graham Ruthven
Context and form
The way Sporting are faring right now, victory over the Premier League champions isn’t out of the question. Indeed, Rúben Amorim’s team have won two of their three Champions League matches this season and will face a City team that has looked shaky in recent matches, particularly Saturday’s defeat to Bournemouth.
Even as Manchester City have won games recently, opponents have been able to cause them problems in attacking transition – see Brentford, Fulham and Wolves. Against a Sporting team that has scored an incredible 35 goals in just 10 league games this season, Pep Guardiola and his players could be set for an uncomfortable evening.
The two hottest strikers in Europe meet
This game will see two of Europe’s most potent centre forwards face each other – Viktor Gyökeres and Erling Haaland. The former has 20 goals in 14 games this season while the latter has 14 goals in 13 games. At a time when goalscoring strikers are increasingly difficult to find, Sporting and City have two Scandinavians that find the back of the net for fun.
It could be argued that Gyökeres is a more rounded centre forward than Haaland. The Swede is comfortable taking the ball into his feet and linking up play. However, Gyökeres is more dangerous when attacking open space – as he did for his sensational solo goal against Estrela da Amadora last week – and there could be plenty of that behind City’s backline.
By Haaland’s ridiculously high standards, a run of three goals in his last five games represents something of a lean streak. It’s also somewhat unusual that Manchester City have failed to score more than once in each of their last three games in all competitions – against Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth.
Nonetheless, City have several attackers capable of producing something out of nothing with Jérémy Doku, Phil Foden, Matheus Nunes and Savinho all in contention to start on Tuesday evening. Similar could be said of Sporting CP who have Pote and Trincão to provide attacking threat in the half spaces around Gyökeres.
This could be a match ultimately decided by which team can hold things together best in defensive transition. Amorim will hope that his back three formation allows Sporting to outnumber City in the attack while giving Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita the chance to control possession in midfield.
City’s injury headaches
Manchester City are still figuring out a way to cope in Rodri’s absence with the Ballon d’Or set to miss the rest of the season through injury. Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Rúben Dias, John Stones and Oscar Bobb are also currently sidelined for the Premier League champions.
Meanwhile, defender Eduardo Quaresma is the only player Sporting CP have unavailable through injury, giving Amorim a full squad to choose from. Geny Catamo missed Friday’s match against Estrela da Amadora, but is expected to return at right wing back for Tuesday’s game.
Prediction
Sporting 2-2 Man City – a respectable score draw for both sides, given current goalscoring form.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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