Saturday Football Tips: Up for the Super Cup in Portugal

Sporting Lisbon v Braga
Saturday 31 July, 20:45

The football season really begins to pick up this weekend with the Scottish League getting under way but it is a bet in Portugal's first competitive match of 2021/22 which makes appeal.

The Portuguese Super Cup is up for grabs with league champions Sporting Lisbon taking on cup winners Braga.

It is the first Super Cup match not to feature either Benfica or Porto since 2002 and offers Sporting a good chance of adding to their Primeira Liga and Taca de Liga (league cup) trophies of last season.

Joao Mario's loan is now over (he's since joined Benfica) but the vast majority of the title-winning side remains, including Portugal's player of the year Sebastian Coates, who starred in the backline with former Real Betis man Zouhair Feddal, and 'breakthrough' award winner Pedro Goncalves.

They've added right wing-back Ricardo Esgaio - signed from Braga no less - to their squad and pre-season has gone well with wins last week against French sides Angers and Lyon.

Manchester City loanee Pedro Porro is the only injury issue in their squad right now and so they look a touch of value to win this game at 7/5.

However, to boost the price, the suggestion is to back them to win to nil.

Coates played a big role in restricting opponents to just 20 goals in 34 league games last season.

The last three meetings of these sides have seen Sporting Lisbon win 1-0.

Throw in the fact that 13 of the last 17 Super Cup matches have been won in 90 minutes 'to nil' and 11/4 looks decent.

That 13 of 17 stat also makes 9/10 about the 'no' option in the both teams to score market appeal.

Click here for Ian Lamont's preview of the 2021/22 League Two season