Sporting tries to prolong victorious walk, FC Porto seeks reaction

O Sporting tries to prolong the victorious walk in the League of Football Champions and FC Porto breaks the losing cycle, in the receptions to LASK Linz and PSV, respectively, on the third day of the league phase.

The Lisbon team debuted in the 2026/27 edition with a home win over Galatasaray, by 3-1, and imposed itself on Tuesday at Lens Stadium, by 2-0, in the second round, in contrast to the Portuguese rival, who was defeated at home by Manchester City, by 2-0, and on Wednesday's visit to Betis, by 3-2.

Sporting is one of the nine teams with a 100% victory in the race, including Paris Saint-Germain, the current two-time European champion, Arsenal, the finalist last season, and Real Madrid, the record holder of titles, with 15 trophies won, which is trained by Portuguese José Mourinho.

LASK Linz seems to be the ideal opponent to keep the team trained by Rui Borges on the path of victories in Wednesday's match, as the Austrian champion was defeated at the two previous meetings, in front of AEK Athens (1-0) and Liverpool (6-3), as well as taking second place in his country's championship, five points away from Commander Rapid Vienna.

Sporting is in the same situation in the I Liga, installed in the third position, with less than six points relative to FC Porto leader, and does not hold good memories of the last confrontation with LASK Linz, who won 4-1 in Alvalade, in the play-off of access to the Europe League group phase of 2020/21, eliminating the lions from European competitions.

For FC Porto, the fight of Tuesday with the PSV takes on a more decisive character, since a negative result against the three Dutch champion (also without winning in the ‘Champions’) will leave in a weaker position the Portuguese team, one of the eight only with defeats in the race, among which is the Inter Milan, finalist won two seasons ago.

Eindhoven's formation visits the Dragon Stadium a few days after being surprised in the Dutch championship, losing at home from the modest Den Haag (2-1), which had no triumph in the competition.

The team trained by Italian Francesco Farioli presents two ‘faces’ this beginning of the season, since he leads the I Liga prominently, counting by triumphs the eight games played, a series that will not be able to prolong this weekend, because the competition will stop for the third elimination of the Cup of Portugal.

As FC Porto is exempt from that round – like Sporting – the ‘dragons’ will have to play the second meeting followed in the most important European competition of clubs, with the current Dutch League’s second-ranking, against which it recorded two victories, a draw and a defeat in the four previous clashes.

After winning on Wednesday for sensational 4-2 on the Manchester City ground, PSG again stars the big game of the third round, receiving on Tuesday FC Barcelona, in a duel of leaders who will oppose the Portuguese international Nuno Mendes, João Neves and Vitinha, on the French side, to the teammate João Cancelo.

Real Madrid, which on the second day was losing by 3-1 in Rome, but ended up winning by 4-3, receives Leipzig the next day, although attention is focused on the confrontation between Bayern Munich (protagonist of one of last week's biggest surprises, by stalling 3-3 at Viking Stadium) and Arsenal.