Sporting have old scores to settle against LASK Linz

Sporting CP are gearing up to host LASK Linz this Wednesday at 8:00 pm at the Estádio de Alvalade, in a match corresponding to Matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase.

Buoyed by back-to-back wins in Europe's elite competition—a 3-1 home triumph over Galatasaray and a 2-0 victory away at Lens—the Lions are looking to extend their winning streak while putting an old nemesis to rest.

The Austrian champions cross Sporting's path at a time when Rui Borges' side has made a habit of breaking hoodoos, having recently secured their first-ever away win against SC Braga under Borges—after three draws in as many visits to the Pedreira—and claiming a victory on French soil for the first time in 16 years.

In head-to-head encounters, LASK Linz have often been a thorn in the side of the green-and-whites, winning two of their three previous meetings and handing the Lions a painful European exit. Their shared history began in the 2019/20 Europa League group stage, where Sporting, then coached by Jorge Silas, won 2-1 at home before suffering a 3-0 defeat in Austria.

The following season, at the start of Ruben Amorim's first full campaign in charge, the sides met in a Europa League play-off at Alvalade. The Austrians took an early lead through Gernot Trauner (14'). Marko Raguz (58') put the visitors back ahead before Tiago Tomás restored parity on 62 minutes, but a red card for captain Sebastián Coates (63') opened the floodgates. Quickfire strikes from Peter Michorl (65') and Andreas Gruber (68') sealed a bruising defeat and a premature exit from UEFA competition.

Several years on, only three players from that 2020/21 squad remain at the club: Gonçalo Inácio, Eduardo Quaresma, and Nuno Santos.

With scores to settle, only the number 25—now wearing the captain's armband—and Eduardo Quaresma are expected to feature in central defence, while Nuno Santos remains sidelined as one of three players currently in the treatment room.