Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Match Preview
The Allianz Cup (Taça da Liga) reaches its Final Four stage in Leiria on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, with a heavyweight semi-final clash between holders Sporting CP and Vitória de Guimarães at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa. Sporting, aiming to defend their title, arrive with some frustration after opening the new year with a 1–1 draw against Gil Vicente, ending their perfect winning streak. However, the Lions will take confidence from their dominant 4–1 victory over Vitória just two weeks ago in the league. The Conquistadores, sitting comfortably in the league’s top 5, bounced back from that heavy defeat with a 2–1 win over Nacional and will be itching for revenge on neutral ground to book their place in the final.
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Match Info
- Competition: Taça da Liga (Semi-Final)
- Venue: Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria (Capacity: 23,888)
- Date: Tuesday, 6 January 2026
- Kickoff: 19:45 WET | 20:45 CET | 14:45 ET
- Referee: Luis Godinho (POR)
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Match Stakes
Sporting CP:
- Win → Advances to the Final (vs Benfica/Porto); keeps the dream of a domestic treble alive.
- Loss → Shock elimination; first major setback of the season and loss of the League Cup title.
Vitória de Guimarães:
- Win → Reaches the Final; chance to win their first major trophy since 2013.
- Loss → Elimination; confirms Sporting as their “bogey team” this season (two losses in 3 weeks).
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Team News
Sporting CP:
- Diomande O. — Out (International Duty – Ivory Coast/AFCON)
- Catamo G. — Out (International Duty – Mozambique/AFCON)
- Gonçalves P. (Pote) — Out (Muscle Injury – Key Creator Missing)
- Debast Z. — Out (Leg Injury)
- Santos N. — Out (Ligament Injury – Long-term)
- Quenda G. — Out (Broken Foot)
- Trincão F. — Questionable (Knock – Late fitness test)
- Defensive Shuffle: With Diomande and Debast out, Jeremiah St. Juste or Matheus Reis will step into the back three alongside Gonçalo Inácio.
Vitória de Guimarães:
- Fernandes J. — Questionable (Muscle Injury)
- Villanueva M. — Available (Returned to fitness)
- Silva T. — Available (Captain & Playmaker)
- Oliveira N. — Available (Experienced striker)
- Tactical Note: Rui Borges may opt for a more conservative midfield trio (Händel, Samu, Tiago Silva) to avoid the openness that led to the 1–4 league defeat.
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)
Sporting CP
- 03/01 — 1–1 vs Gil Vicente (Liga Portugal)
- 29/12 — 4–0 vs Rio Ave (Liga Portugal)
- 24/12 — 4–1 vs Vitória SC (Liga Portugal)
- 19/12 — 3–2 vs Santa Clara (Taça de Portugal)
- 14/12 — 6–0 vs AFS (Liga Portugal)
Vitória de Guimarães
- 03/01 — 2–1 vs Nacional (Liga Portugal)
- 28/12 — 0–0 vs Casa Pia (Liga Portugal)
- 24/12 — 1–4 vs Sporting CP (Liga Portugal)
- 18/12 — 0–1 vs AFS (Taça de Portugal)
- 13/12 — 1–0 vs Rio Ave (Liga Portugal)
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)
- 24/12/2025 — Vitória SC 1–4 Sporting CP (Liga Portugal)
- 17/05/2025 — Sporting CP 2–0 Vitória SC (Liga Portugal)
- 04/01/2025 — Vitória SC 4–4 Sporting CP (Liga Portugal)
- 22/04/2024 — Sporting CP 3–0 Vitória SC (Liga Portugal)
- 09/12/2023 — Vitória SC 3–2 Sporting CP (Liga Portugal)
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)
Sporting CP (3-4-3)
Israel; Quaresma, Inácio, Matheus Reis; Fresneda, Hjulmand, Morita, Maxi Araújo; Edwards, Gyökeres, Harder
Vitória de Guimarães (4-3-3)
Varela; Gaspar, Borevkovic, Villanueva, Mendes; Händel, Tiago Silva, Samu; Kaio César, N. Oliveira, Gustavo Silva
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Impact Bench
Sporting CP: Bragança (Control), Harder (Goal threat if benched), Esgaio (Experience)
Vitória de Guimarães: Arcanjo (Creativity), Ramírez (Pace)
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Tactical Analysis
Sporting CP
Rúben Amorim (or current coach) faces a selection headache on the right flank with Geny Catamo at AFCON and Quenda injured. Iván Fresneda will likely start. The plan remains the same: high intensity, utilizing Viktor Gyökeres’ power in the channels. Without Pote, the creativity burden falls on Marcus Edwards and Maxi Araújo to unlock a low block.
Vitória de Guimarães
Vitória were torn apart in transition in the recent 1–4 loss. In this knockout game, expect them to sit deeper and deny space for Gyökeres to run into. Tiago Silva’s set-piece delivery will be their primary weapon, targeting the aerial presence of Borevkovic and Oliveira. They must win the midfield battle against Hjulmand to have any chance.
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Key Battles
- Gyökeres vs Borevkovic — The league’s top scorer vs Vitória’s defensive leader.
- Hjulmand vs Tiago Silva — Physicality vs technical brilliance in midfield.
- Fresneda vs Gustavo Silva — Sporting’s backup RWB will be targeted by Vitória’s winger.
- Israel vs Nelson Oliveira — GK concentration test against the veteran forward.
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Spotlight Players
Sporting CP — Viktor Gyökeres
The Swedish machine is unstoppable. He scored in the recent 4–1 win against Vitória and thrives on the big stage. With key creative teammates missing, he may need to create a goal out of nothing.
Vitória de Guimarães — Tiago Silva
The captain is the heartbeat of the team. If Vitória are to pull off an upset, Silva needs to dictate the tempo and provide quality service from dead-ball situations.
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Prediction
Sporting CP 3–1 Vitória de Guimarães
Despite the absences of Diomande, Pote, and Catamo, Sporting’s system is robust, and Gyökeres is a cheat code in Portuguese football. Vitória will offer more resistance than they did in the league, but Sporting’s superior firepower should see them book their place in the final comfortably.
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Betting Insights
- Sporting CP to Win — High Probability.
- Viktor Gyökeres to Score — Very Likely.
- Over 2.5 Goals — Likely (H2H history is high-scoring).
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — Where to Watch
- Portugal: Sport TV 1
- International: TrillerTV+, GolTV
Sporting CP vs Vitória de Guimarães — FAQs
Q: When is the Sporting vs Vitória SC match?
A: The match kicks off on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, at 19:45 WET (local time).
Q: Is this a knockout game?
A: Yes, it is the Semi-Final of the Taça da Liga (Final Four).
Q: Is Pote playing?
A: No. Pedro Gonçalves is ruled out with a muscle injury.
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