Barcelona is atop Group D in the Champions League, and they go into their final match on Tuesday, December 5th needing just a point to clinch first place. They’ll host Sporting Lisbon, who have to go for the win as they’re just a point behind Juventus, who will visit Olympiakos.
What To Know About Sporting Lisbon
Sporting Lisbon got a pair of goals from Bas Dost in either half in a 3-1 win at home over Olympiakos in their last Champions League match, while Bruno Cesar scored three minutes after Dost’s first-half goal to effectively put the game away. It was a little worrying that Sporting Lisbon allowed a late goal because at this point in the competition, goal differential means a lot. Dost and Cesar have now scored two goals each and Sporting Lisbon has scored eight goals as a team, but they have also allowed seven goals. Away from home, Sporting Lisbon has a win and a loss in two games, allowing and scoring four goals each.
What To Know About Barcelona
Barcelona drew 0-0 at Juventus and in a surprising turn of events, Lionel Messi was left on the bench as it was decided that he needed a rest. As a result, Barcelona never really looked like scoring until he came on in the 56th minute, but still it was enough to at least send Barcelona through to the knockout stage. Messi has scored three goals to lead Barcelona in the Champions League, but he still needs a little help and it would be nice if Luis Suarez showed up. He has scored two goals in his last eight games in all competitions and those came in one game against Leganes in La Liga. Messi can still steal games for Barcelona, but the further that they go in the competition, the more they’ll need Suarez to find his shooting boots and start scoring goals.
Outlook
Barcelona are the home favorites at -400, while Sporting comes in at +900 and a draw is listed at +500. These two clubs have faced each other three times, with Barcelona winning all three, including a 1-0 win at Sporting Lisbon on September 27th thanks to an own goal from Sebastian Coates. It wasn’t Barcelona’s best game, but they did enough to pick up the win and now, they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas so that they can wrap up the top spot in Group D, which means they would go on to face a second-place team in the knockout stage. Messi will likely be in the lineup for this game, but the rest of Barcelona’s players have to step up and give their leader a hand. They should have space as Sporting Lisbon is faced with going for it, which might not be the smartest choice, especially on the road in Barcelona. However, they really don’t have a choice and that should open up things for Barcelona to put them away and send Sporting Lisbon to the Europa League.
Champions League Betting Pick: Barcelona
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