Looking to maintain their perfect start to the Champions League campaign, Sporting Lisbon welcome debutants LASK Linz to Estadio Jose Alvalade for round three of the league phase.

The Portuguese hosts have won both of their opening two fixtures in this season's European competition, leaving them sixth in the 36-team table, while the Austrian visitors sit 33rd after failing to collect any points from their opening two matches.

Match preview

Sporting's 13th appearance in the Champions League proper, and their fifth in six seasons, could hardly have started any better, as Rui Borges's team followed up a convincing opening victory over Galatasaray with a 2-0 win away to Lens last week.

Unlike their matchday-one triumph over the Turkish visitors, who took an early lead at Jose Alvalade, the Lions made a strong start at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, with Luis Suarez finding the net in the 22nd minute before Issa Doumbia put the game beyond reach in the second half.

As a result, the Lions have now won each of their last four league-phase matches, having also beaten Paris Saint-Germain and Athletic Bilbao on matchdays seven and eight of last season's Champions League campaign, in which they finished seventh before exiting in the quarter-finals following defeat to Arsenal.

Wednesday's encounter presents Sporting with another opportunity to strengthen their bid for a second consecutive automatic qualification spot, particularly as they have won each of their last five home matches in the league phase and enter this fixture well rested.

The Lions were not involved in domestic action over the weekend, with no Portuguese top-flight match taking place, meaning they remain third in the Primeira Liga table, while they have also avoided defeat in all 10 of their matches across competitions this season (W7, D3).

Meanwhile, LASK's first appearance in the main stage of the European Cup/Champions League has provided a reality check, with the Austrian outfit following a narrow opening defeat at AEK Athens with a humbling 6-3 loss to Liverpool last week.

Despite the setback, head coach Dietmar Kuhbauer could at least take encouragement from his team's spirited display in the closing stages, as they reduced a five-goal deficit after Florian Flecker scored twice in quick succession.  

Having seen his team average two goals per game across their opening two league-phase matches this term, the 55-year-old manager will be more concerned about a leaky defence that has conceded seven goals, with only Slovan Bratislava (nine) shipping more in the 2026-27 Champions League proper.

However, LASK recorded their first clean sheet in eight competitive matches on Saturday after securing a 4-0 win over Austria Lustenau, leaving the Black-Whites third in the Bundesliga table and ending a four-match winless run across competitive outings.

The Austrian visitors can also draw encouragement from their superior head-to-head record, having won two of the three previous meetings between the sides (L1), all in the Europa League, with their 4-1 victory on their previous visit to Jose Alvalade representing the only blemish in Sporting's last seven home matches against Austrian clubs.
 

Sporting Lisbon Champions League form:

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

LASK Linz Champions League form:

LASK Linz form (all competitions):

Team News

Sporting are expected to be without Nuno Santos, who continues his recovery from a knee injury, while Rodrigo Zalazar is also ruled out with a muscle problem.

Meanwhile, defender Zeno Debast remains a doubt after missing last week's trip to Lens and Sunday's training session.

Doumbia opened his scoring account for the club last time out, and the summer signing is expected to retain his place in midfield, while Kaique Pereira could continue in goal after an impressive performance on his debut.

Suarez has scored in each of his nine starts for Sporting this season, finding the net 10 times in that span, including twice in this season's league phase, making the Colombian the man to watch in this encounter.

As for LASK, George Bello and Moses Usor remain major doubts for Wednesday's trip to Lisbon, having both missed the last two outings after being forced off injured against Rapid Wien on October 11.

Sasa Kalajdzic scored and provided an assist for Samuel Adeniran's goal last time out, and the former could earn a second consecutive start, while Christoph Lang is pushing for a return to the lineup after scoring twice as a substitute in the same match.
 

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Kaique Pereira; Fresneda, Inacio, Quaresma, Araujo; Altimira, Doumbia; Catamo, Luis Guilherme, Irankunda; Suarez

LASK Linz possible starting lineup:

Jungwirth; Jorgensen, Mbuyamba, Andrade, Alemao, Dibango; Bogarde, Lang, Danek; Kalajdzic, Adeniran

We say: Sporting Lisbon 3-1 LASK Linz

Sporting head into this encounter in excellent European form, and a meeting with a LASK side that has struggled to find its feet in its first Champions League campaign looks like an ideal opportunity for the Lions to make it three wins from three in the league phase.
 

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