Sporting CP v AVS Futebol SAD

Sporting CP v AVS Futebol SAD

December 14th, 2025

Estádio José Alvalade 

Matchday 14

The warm up

The Lions welcome AVS to the José Alvalade for Matchday 14 with the visitors experiencing one of the worst starts to a campaign in the history of Portuguese top flight football. Based on their average points per game of just 0.25, they are currently on course to break the record for the lowest points total ever recorded in the top division. Still to register a single win in the league this season, their only joy has come in the Taça de Portugal where they beat Fornos de Algodres 7-0 away in round 3 and progressed in round 4 past Academico Viseu 7-6 on penalties after the game finished 0-0. 

They began the campaign under the stewardship of José Mota, quickly replaced by João Pedro Sousa who has been unable to bring any upturn in their fortunes or performances. However that will hardly have come as a surprise given they finished 3rd bottom following their promotion to the top flight finishing level on points with Farense and only three above Boavista. This secured their position in the play off spot where they beat Vizela 5-2 on aggregate to guarantee their position once more in the Portuguese top flight for another campaign. 

Nineteen new signings have come into the club since the summer and they continue to sign free agents in the hope of finding any player who can turn around their ailing fortunes. Carlos Ponck was picked up as a free agent at the start of last month and Ruben Semedo who left Sporting in the 2017/18 season for Villarreal, signed as a free agent in October. 

Their record heading into Saturday's team time fixture at home to Rio Ave is played 12, drawn 3, lost 9, GF 8, GA 29. Their away record heading to the Alvalade, played 6, drawn 1, lost 5, GF 4, GA 17.

Remarkably AVS upset the apple cart in the meeting of the two teams last time out when Sporting contrived to throw away a 2-0 goal lead away from home. Reduced to ten men following the dismissal of Diomande in the second half, AVS equalised to take a point in the 95th minute to secure a highly improbable 2-2 draw. No such issues however at home when Harder opened the scoring and a brace from Viktor Gyökeres secured all three points in a comfortable 3-0 win. 

Between August 9th and October 25th, AVS collected a solitary point in a 2-2 draw away to Sporting Braga. No surprise to learn I had money on the home side to win and that my legendary ability to inflict suffering upon those sides I've bet on hasn't diminished over time. They did however only lose one game in November albeit that was owed to a shortened calendar with the international break. They drew at home to Tondela and high flying Gil Vicente before being comprehensively beaten 4-0 away to Vitória SC. 

Their eight goals have all come from open play. Top scorer, the evergreen Brazilian Nene who has 2 to his name at the tender age of 42. Six others share a goal apiece. Alongside their failure to win a single game, they're also yet to keep a clean sheet which will come as an ominous sign ahead of this fixture against the league's top scorers in Sporting who've scored 32 times to date in their opening 13 matches.

They come close to topping some of the tables associated with the league, 2nd for most fouls on average per game with 15.7 behind Famalicão. Second for most penalties conceded with 5 behind Moreirense and Arouca who are tied on 7 apiece. Second in the XG conceded table on 21.1 meaning they've actually 8 goals worse off than where statistically they should have been. Maybe this is the game where Luis Suárez could actually come away with his first match ball under his arm though even then I'd not put my hands in my pocket to put money on it occuring.

It should be noted that they have no relation to Clube Desportivo das Aves who were dissolved in 2020 owing to financial difficulties. Their greatest moment as a club was the 2-1 victory over Sporting in the 2018 Taça de Portugal final. Despite the win they were denied a licence to compete in European competitions the following season owing to their poor financial health and were relegated in the 2019/20 season with five games still to play. 

AVS are now the grand age of 2 having been formed in the May of 2023. Hailing from the town of Aves in Santo Tirso, the last recorded population wouldn't even fill 20% of the Estádio José Alvalade if the entire town were to descend upon the southern capital. The area is renowned for its textile industry so maybe one of the locals can help them knit together a run of form. The club's president is the Brazilian Rubens Takano Parreira of which little is known other than him having been named in the Panama Papers leak so maybe no surprise his side often go into hiding during the 90 minutes. 

After 13 rounds last season Sporting had 33 points, this season one point less with 32. If you overlap the corresponding fixtures for the two seasons substituting Farense for Alverca and Boavista for Tondela, they're also interestingly one point down season upon season 33 to 32. The only difference in results being the loss to Porto at the José Alvalade and an improvement in beating Arouca 6-0 compared to last season's 2-2 draw. The only room for improvement at home between now and the end of the campaign will be to avenge the Santa Clara 1-0 loss. Otherwise the lions will need to match the ten wins in the other home fixtures remaining. Away from home far more scope for improvement having drawn to Porto, AVS, Gil Vicente and Vitória as well as the loss to Moreirense.

Saturday update 

A Clayton brace gave the visitors all three points. The Brazilians first on the half hour mark gave Rio Ave the lead, AVS drew level on 50 minutes through Óscar Perea's goal which draws him level as the club's top goalscorer. Their evening got a whole lot harder when Jaume Gray was given a second yellow on the hour mark. AVS held out until a minute before time when Sidi Bane conceded a penalty which was finally converted two minutes into additional time. Clayton conceded a free kick just outside the area deep into additional time which led to handbags between both sets of players. After a long stoppage Diego Duarte fired straight into the wall and his follow up effort blocked and their misery was complete as they cleared and the referee finally blew for full time. They remain six points off Casa Pia who lost to Santa Clara earlier in the day, Arouca who travel away to Estrela tomorrow and Tondela who face Porto at home. The defeat means that AVS have now conceded one less goal than Sporting have scored this season in total. Amazingly despite being rock bottom still without a win it's Arouca who have the worst defensive record conceding 34 times. That is you imagine until this forthcoming fixture and tide may well have turned. 

In the markets

Sporting TBC

Draw TBC

AVS TBC