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Sporting CP will begin their Liga Portugal campaign with a game against Rio Ave at the Jose Alvalade Stadium on Friday.
Sporting will be keen to start their campaign with a win as they look to defend their 20th Liga Portugal title and also become the first champion to do so in over seven years. Rio Ave finished 11th in the standings last season and will find it difficult to take on the defending champions in their opening game itself. However, they will be hoping to pull off an upset.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Sporting CP vs Rio Ave kick-off time
| Date: | August 9, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 8.15 pm BST |
| Venue: | Jose Alvalade Stadium |
The match will be played at the Jose Alvalade Stadium on Friday, with kick-off at 8.15 pm BST for fans in the UK.
How to watch Sporting CP vs Rio Ave online - TV channels & live streams
The match will be shown live on TrillerTV in the UK. Live updates can be found here on GOAL.
How to watch anywhere with VPN
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
Team news & squads
Sporting CP team news
The home team will be eager to see if the talented centre-back Ousmane Diomande is fit to begin the season.
Eduardo Quaresma will be hoping he can take that place if the defender is ruled out.
There are no other injury concerns for the Portuguese champions ahead of their opening game.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup: Kovacevic; Diomande, Inacio, Debast; Quenda, Hjulmand, Morita, Catamo; Goncalves, Gyokeres, Trincao.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Israel, Kovačević, Callai |
| Defenders: | Reis, St. Juste, Debast, Fresneda, Inácio, Diomande, Muniz, Esgaio, Quaresma, Travassos |
| Midfielders: | Morita, Gonçalves, Essugo, Bragança, Fernandes, Hjulmand |
| Forwards: | Gyökeres, Edwards, Santos, Trincão, Catamo, Quenda, Nel, Moreira, Ribeiro |
Rio Ave team news
For the visitors, a lineup similar to the one that faced Swansea in their pre-season match is most likely to take the field against the defending champions.
Loan signing Clayton Silva could be in line for his debut, potentially partnering with Amine Rehmi.
Rio Ave possible starting lineup: Jhonatan; Nobrega, Santos, Pantalon; Bondoso, Novais, Oudrhiri, Vrousa; Rehmi, Silva, Ronaldo.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Miszta, Jhonatan, Sina |
| Defenders: | Panzo, Nóbrega, William, Novais, Rehmi, Tomé, Sá, Santos, Pantalon, Karseladze, Kostoulas, Okkas |
| Midfielders: | Gomes, Oudrhiri, Lomboto, Aguilera, Pohlmann, Graça, Ventura |
| Forwards: | Morais, Zoabi, Igbokwe, Vrousai, Bondoso, Ronaldo, Clayton |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02/24 | Rio Ave 3 - 3 Sporting Lisbon | Liga Portugal |
| 26/09/23 | Sporting Lisbon 2 - 0 Rio Ave | Liga Portugal |
| 07/02/23 | Rio Ave 0 - 1 Sporting Lisbon | Liga Portugal |
| 08/12/22 | Rio Ave 0 - 2 Sporting Lisbon | Taca de Liga |
| 14/08/22 | Sporting Lisbon 3 - 0 Rio Ave | Liga Portugal |