The Taca de Portugal action returns this week and second-tier side Casa Pia host Sporting at the Estádio Pina Manique on Wednesday.
The hosts are third in LigaPro and lost 1-0 at home to Rio Ave in their league outing on Sunday. They secured a place in the round of 16 of the Taca de Liga with a 3-1 win over fellow LigaPro side Farense in November.
Sporting made it 10 wins in a row as they beat Gil Vicente 3-0 in their Primeira Liga fixture on Sunday. They beat Varzim in the fourth-round fixture in November, with Pedro Goncalves bagging a second-half brace in their 2-1 win.
Casa Pia vs Sporting Head-to-Head
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two sides.
Casa Pia form guide (all competitions): L-L-W-W-W
Sporting form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-W
Casa Pia vs Sporting Team News
Casa Pia
There are no known injuries or suspension concerns for the hosts ahead of this game.
Injury: None
Doubtful: None
Suspension: None
Sporting
Jovane Cabral remains a key absentee for Leões with a knee injury. Some of the players who tested positive for COVID-19 last week will need to undergo further testing and will be allowed to travel to the Estádio Pina Manique only if they test negative for COVID-19.
Here are the rest of the absentees for the visiting side:
- Rúben Vinagre - Ankle injury
- Zouhair Feddal - Muscle injury
- Pedro Porro - Muscle injury
- Ricardo Esgaio - COVID-19
- Tiago Tomás - COVID-19
Injured: Jovane Cabral, Ruben Vinagre, Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro
Doubtful: Ricardo Esgaio
Suspended: None
Unavailable (COVID-19): Tiago Tomás
Casa Pia vs Sporting Predicted XI
Casa Pia Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ricardo Batista; Lucas Soares, Vasco Fernandes, Rodrigo Galo Brito, Hebert Silva Santos; Leonardo Filipe Cruz Lelo, Afonso Taira, Neto; Saviour Godwin, Camilo José Triana Fragoso, João Silva
Sporting CP Predicted XI (3-4-3): Antonio Adan; Luis Neto, Goncalo Inacio, Matheus Reis; Nuno Santos, Daniel Braganca, Manuel Ugarte, Matheus Nunes; Pedro Goncalves, Bruno Tabata, Pablo Sarabia
Casa Pia vs Sporting Prediction
Casa Pia have enjoyed a great outing in the competition and have scored 10 goals in their three games so far. Sporting are in great form at the moment and have conceded just five goals in the Portuguese top-flight.
When the two Lisbon-based outfits lock horns on Wednesday, a win for the visiting side is the most likely outcome from the game.
Prediction: Casa Pia 1-3 Sporting