Manchester City very rarely enter contests off the back of two consecutive defeats, but that's exactly what they're doing on Tuesday night.
Pep Guardiola admitted on Saturday evening his City side simply couldn't handle Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium amid a 2-1 defeat and they're facing a similarly fierce and aggressive opponent here.
Incoming Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is already a household name and the Portuguese coach has the chance to earn a statement victory at the end of his hugely successful tenure in Lisbon on Tuesday before he starts a new chapter on 11 November.
City's injury crisis isn't as severe as feared by the manager last week, but the Cityzens are nonetheless without several key names for this Champions League duel. Here's the starting XI Guardiola could put out against Sporting.
Man City predicted lineup vs Sporting CP (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson - Guardiola has turned to Stefan Ortega in this competition already, but Ederson will retain his place in Lisbon.
RB: Rico Lewis - Kyle Walker struggled mightily at the weekend and should drop out of the XI. It's time for Lewis to emerge as Guardiola's preferred option at right-back.
CB: Manuel Akanji - With Ruben Dias and John Stones absent, City's centre-back options are pretty slim. Akanji recovered from a knock to play on Saturday and he should be fine to feature here.
CB: Nathan Ake - The aggressive Dutchman will share the responsibility with Akanji when it comes to dealing with Sporting hitman Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede's power combined with the athleticism of City's defenders should render this a thrilling duel.
LB: Josko Gvardiol - There were more final-third heroics from Gvardiol at the weekend, but City's unicorn at left-back couldn't inspire a resurgence worthy of a result. The Croatia international has enjoyed a superb start to the season.
CM: Mateo Kovacic - Kovacic is struggling to facilitate midfield control and shun the opposition on the counter-attack, so he's going to have to do something special if he's to tame Sporting's verticality and transitional power on Tuesday night.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan - Guardiola's not going to leave Kovacic on an island, with the Croatian midfielder bound to be supported by veteran Gundogan, who's struggled for form as of late.
RW: Phil Foden - Foden's had some success at the start of the league phase, but it's been a tame start to the campaign from the reigning PFA Player of the Year. The England international could be tasked with drifting off the right in this one.
AM: Matheus Nunes - The Portuguese midfielder has the extra incentive of returning to his old stomping ground on Tuesday night having enjoyed a run in Guardiola's side for the first time since joining the club.
LW: Jeremy Doku - There has to be some rotation behind Erling Haaland given how many minutes the likes of Bernardo Silva have racked up as of late. Doku enjoyed a cameo appearance on Saturday and could play the opening hour in Lisbon.
ST: Erling Haaland - After drawing a blank on the English south coast, Haaland faces a Sporting team that have conceded just three goals in the Primeira Liga all season and one in three Champions League outings.
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