Man City have suffered two consecutive defeats in all competitions, losing their top spot in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's 32-match unbeaten streak in the English top flight has ended.
However, City have made a near-perfect start to their European campaign this season, scoring four goals against Slovan Bratislava and five against Sparta Prague.
Excluding penalty shootouts, the Citizens have gone 26 games without defeat in regular time or extra time in the Champions League. That run will be threatened by City’s heavily injured squad. The tight schedule has left players tired and results have been disappointing.
The match against Sporting will take place in a rather special context as coach Ruben Amorim will lead Man United in the next few weeks following the departure of Erik ten Hag.
Under the agreement, Mr Amorim will officially take up his position at Old Trafford after FIFA Days in November. He will continue to direct Sporting during this time. Facing Man City will be the perfect opportunity for him to win the hearts of the Red Devils fans.
The Portuguese side will welcome Man City to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in impressive form. Sporting have won all 10 games since the start of the 2024-2025 Primeira Liga season. They are currently top of the table, and their record in the Champions League is not bad either.
Sporting have the same 7 points after 3 matches as Man City. The last time the two teams met was in the 2021-2022 season, where Amorim's team suffered a 0-5 defeat at home before drawing 0-0 at Etihad.
Expected lineup:
Sporting Lisbon: Israel; Inacio, Diomande, Debast; Quenda, Braganca, Hjulmand, Araujo; Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves
Man City: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic, Gundogan; Doku, Haaland, Nunes
