Sporting Lisbon v Santa Clara Betting Tips [26 January 2022]

The semi final of the Portuguese League Cup sees the defending champions Sporting CP take on Santa Clara at a neutral venue in the Estádio Municipal Leiri on Wednesday, Sporting have won this competition three of the last four years and have made the final another two times in the cup’s short 14-year life span. Santa Clara will be seeking their first ever appearance in the final and should be full of confidence given their recent results. The underdogs come into this match after a 2-0 victory away at Moreirense and have now won three of their last five matches - one of those being a 3-2 victory against Sporting to deal them their first league defeat of the season. Sporting will certainly be out for revenge but have hit a bit of a wobble in their league form, losing two of their last three after a 2-1 home loss to Braga on Saturday. 

Despite the recent defeats, Sporting are still having a very impressive season. The defending league champions are second in the table with a 15-2-2 record and have advanced to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. The Lions defensive solidity has been consistent throughout the season and they hold the league’s best defensive record with only 12 goals allowed in 19 matches and have kept 11 clean sheets. Sporting’s ability to produce quality performances regardless if home or away should give them a significant advantage in this one given the neutral venue - Ruben Amorim’s side are 7-1-1 away in the league with 18 goals scored and seven conceded. Their opponents have struggled away from home with a league record of 1-2-6 and a -9 goal differential. Santa Clara have also been prone to suffering a few heavy losses this season. They have conceded the second highest amount at 36 and six of the team’s nine losses have come by two or more goals. Sporting should record a victory here and with eight of their 15 wins coming by more than one goal, it could likely be a comfortable one.

We’re going to back Sporting to get their revenge over Santa Clara and win by at least two goals by taking them on the -1 Asian Handicap. This means that if Sporting manage to win by just a one goal margin, our bet will be refunded. While this match is at a neutral venue, both teams' respective away form should give Sporting a significant advantage in this one. 2-0 to the Lions is the most likely outcome here.