Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting Lisbon Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium forms the backdrop for a pivotal Champions League showdown between Tottenham Hotspur and Sporting Lisbon. 

This fifth Champions League matchday could be considered a decisive one for competitive-looking Group D, with all four participants heading into the evening with the potential of ending it at the top of the standings.

A come-from-behind 3-2 home victory over Eintracht Eintracht last time out catapulted Tottenham to the top of the group, yet with three points separating all four teams, there’s everything to play for in the final two rounds.

Spurs’ Premier League title challenge took a massive blow at the weekend after Newcastle United halted their perfect home record across all competitions this season (W7) with a 2-1 win.

It was the last thing frustrated manager Antonio Conte needed ahead of Sporting’s visit to north London because he’d like to avenge a morale-damaging 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in Lisbon. 

Unlike his Tottenham counterpart, visiting boss Ruben Amorim continues to elevate his rising stocks after his side pulled off a second-half comeback to beat Casa Pia 3-1 at the weekend. 

Having navigated Los Leoes back into the top four of Portugal’s Primeira Liga, the highly-rated tactician, recently courted by Aston Villa to replace Steven Gerrard, is now looking to inspire another European upset. 

Sporting defied the odds to thump Eintracht 3-0 in Germany on day one, but he’ll need another miracle if he wants to drag his men out of trouble following back-to-back Champions League losses.

Match Preview

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham’s almost-perfect home European record against Portuguese visitors features six victories and one defeat from seven matches in north London, including qualifiers. 

On that basis, Spurs aim to paint their 50th Champions League outing with flying colours and avoid the embarrassment of losing three consecutive games for the first time in 18 months. 

While waiting to hear from the board over his public appeal to get funds to strengthen his squad amid the injuries to star players Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, Conte could enter Tottenham folklore. 

After guiding Spurs to victories in their opening two Champions League home fixtures, he could become only the second-ever Lillywhites manager to win his first three home matches at the helm. 

Sporting Lisbon

Level on points with second-placed Marseille heading into the final two group stage rounds, Sporting may need to better the French side’s results in the remainder of Group B to seal back-to-back progressions. 

With the head-to-head tiebreak favouring Les Olympiens, last season’s Primeira Liga runners-up may have to claim another surprise scalp on foreign soil to boost their case. 

However, England has not been a happy hunting ground for Sporting by any stretch of the imagination, as they’ve gone winless on their last eight UEFA-sanctioned visits to the country (D3, L5).

Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting Lisbon Potential Line-ups

Tottenham Hotspur (3-5-2): Hugo Lloris; Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero, Clement Lenglet; Emerson, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic; Harry Kane, Son Heung-min. 

Sporting Lisbon (3-4-3): Antonio Adan; Goncalo Inacio, Marsa, Matheus Reis; Pedro Porro, Manuel Ugarte, Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos; Francisco Trincao, Marcus Edwards; Paulinho. 

How to Watch?

Tottenham vs Sporting, alongside all other matches in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season, is available to watch online via Champions League live streams.

And if you are interested in attending a future UCL game, see our Champions League tickets page for more information.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting Lisbon Prediction 

Regardless of Tottenham’s rough patch, we expect Conte to find a way to motivate his side and pick up a decisive three points.

It’s likely to be a tight, evenly-contested game, as was the narrative in Lisbon, though the roles should be reversed now.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Sporting Lisbon