Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Besiktas
Match Time & Date:
19/10/2021
12:45 PM
Prediction: 2-0
Sporting
Vodafone Park will host Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Besiktas and Sporting CP, the two teams who have yet to record a win in Group C. Besiktas were hit by injuries in a 2-0 loss to Ajax, but the likes of Vida, Larin, Teixeira, Ghezzal, and Montero have recovered from their respective injuries. Former Chelsea attacker Michu Batshuayi is widely expected to lead the line for the hosts.
The Lions, on the other hand, failed to impress in back-to-back defeats to Ajax (1-5) and Borussia Dortmund (0-1), and, no doubt, they are eager to give fans something to cheer about. The Portuguese champions, though, are not regarded as good travelers, and we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Besiktas’ party at Vodafone Park. The good news for the visitors is that influential midfielder Pedro Goncalves has overcome his injury.
Highlighted Player (Oguzhan Ozyakup):
The 23-year-old Netherlands-born Turkish international Oguzhan Ozyakup is a midfielder who started his professional career at Premier League giants Arsenal. Ozyakup arrived to the London-based club as a schoolboy from AZ and went through Arsenal academy, before making his competitive debut in a League Cup match against Shrewsbury Town, when he supplied the assist for Yossi Benayoun in a 3-1 victory.
The Turkish international however failed to break into the first-team and was transferred to Besiktas in 2012. Turkey international has passed the 100-match mark for his club in 2016 and is considered one of the more experienced and most valuable players of the club, despite he is only 23 years of age.
The talented midfielder was subject of intense transfer speculation during the 2016 summer transfer window with Valencia reportedly expressing interest in signing the Turkish footballer, but Ozyakup remained at Besiktas and went on to extend his contract, which will keep him at the Vodafone Arena until 2018.
Highlighted Team (Sporting):
When it comes to official club members, Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon are the sixth club in the world. Commonly referred to as Leoes which is Portuguese for Lions, Sporting Lisbon were founded in 1906 and are one of the founders of the Primeira Liga.
Sporting’s main rivals are Benfica, with both teams contesting the Lisbon Derby, one of the most fierce ones in Europe. Lions play their games at Estadio Jose Alvelade in front of 50,000 people and are the third most successful club in the country with 46 titles in Portuguese competitions and a title in the European Cup Winner’s Cup from 1963-64.
During this time that is also known as the club’s golden years, Sporting Lisbon won the majority of their 18 Primeira Liga titles in total. Sporting Lisbon boasts the quality football youth academy system which has yielded world-class footballers such as Paulo Furte, Simao Sabrosa, Nani and Ballon d’Or winners Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
