Sporting vs LASK, at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Wednesday 21 October, puts one of the early pacesetters of the league phase against a club in its first Champions League season. Rui Borges's Sporting have won both their games. LASK, the Austrian champions, only got this far thanks to one of the comebacks of the summer.
Kick-off in Lisbon is 20:00 local time, which is also 20:00 BST, 21:00 in Austria and 3:00pm ET.
How LASK got here
LASK had never reached the Champions League proper before this season. Celtic won the play-off first leg 3-0 in Glasgow and then scored first in Linz. LASK hit back to win 5-1 after extra time and go through 5-4 on aggregate, with Samuel Adeniran scoring twice. Dietmar Kuhbauer's side also arrive as Austrian cup winners, so it's been quite a year.
That night showed what they can do when a game opens up, and Adeniran will enjoy any space behind a defence. The trouble is that Sporting rarely let home games get chaotic, and they've conceded once in two European matches.
Sporting CP
LASKSporting are perfect so far
Sporting beat Galatasaray 3-1 on Matchday 1, then won 2-0 at Lens on Tuesday 13 October. In the Primeira Liga they're third and unbeaten after eight games (five wins, three draws), behind Porto and Benfica, and they answered two straight draws with a 3-1 win at Braga on 9 October.
Luis Suarez is the man LASK have to stop. The Colombian's 22nd-minute opener in Lens made him Sporting's all-time leading scorer in the modern Champions League, as UEFA's Matchday 2 round-up noted, and Issa Doumbia added the second in the 74th minute. Suarez also scored at Braga, along with Rodrigo Zalazar, who gives Sporting a second threat from midfield.
LASK's start has been slower. They lost 1-0 at AEK Athens on Matchday 1 to a first-half Razvan Marin free kick, and they're third in the Austrian Bundesliga after eight games, with five wins, a draw and two defeats. The latest was a 2-0 loss to Rapid Vienna on 11 October. Before flying to Portugal they host Liverpool in Linz on Wednesday night, which will take plenty out of their legs.
Neither club has confirmed injury or suspension problems. Both play league games at the weekend, and LASK may need to rotate after Liverpool.
One win each, back in 2019
The only competitive meetings came in Group D of the 2019/20 Europa League. In Lisbon, Sporting needed a second-half comeback and won 2-1, with Bruno Fernandes getting the winner. Two months later in Linz it was LASK 3-0, through Gernot Trauner, a Joao Klauss penalty and Marko Raguz, and that result won them the group. Raguz scored in both games. This is the first time the clubs have met in the Champions League.
One more number: LASK still haven't scored in the league phase.
Sporting vs LASK prediction
Sporting have the better squad, home advantage and a 100 per cent record in Europe this season. LASK have character and a decent attack, but they've looked short of quality in the final third against Champions League opposition, and the Liverpool game comes only a week before.
I'll say 2-0 to Sporting. They should have the ball and enough up front to see it through, and LASK's best hope is a set piece or an early goal. A third straight win would leave Sporting well placed for a top-eight finish and a direct route to the last 16, so they won't be in a generous mood.
Sporting CPLASKIn Portugal, Sport TV shows every game involving Portuguese clubs, and UK viewers get this one on TNT Sports. You can also watch Sporting vs LASK free on DAMITV, with no account and no app, from our Champions League live streams page, and Spanish speakers can use Champions League en vivo. Porto play the night before, and our Porto vs PSV preview covers that one.
