Matchday 3 of the 2025/26 Champions League group stage between Sporting (Portugal) and Marseille (France) will take place on October 22 at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Sporting vs. Marseille: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Sporting
The opening rounds of the Champions League have been a mixed bag for the team. Sporting started strong with a commanding victory over Kairat, but then faced a tough away fixture against Napoli, where they narrowly lost 1-2. With three points so far, the club is placed 14th in the overall standings. A concerning statistic is that Sporting has scored more than one goal in only 1 of their last 8 Champions League matches, with just one of these resulting in a win for the Lisbon side.
- The club has conceded in 5 consecutive home games in the Champions League.
- Both teams have scored in 7 of Sporting's last 9 matches in this tournament.
- Sporting has won with a handicap (+1.5) in 6 of their last 7 Champions League matches.
Predicted lineup for Sporting (4-2-3-1)
Rui Silva – Ivan Fresneda, Eduardo Quaresma, Ousmane Diomande, Maximiliano Araujo – Morten Hjulmand, Hidemasa Morita – Pedro Goncalves, Geovani Quenda, Francisco Trincao – Luis Suarez.
Midfielder Daniel Bragança and forward Nuno Santos are recovering from injuries.
Marseille
In previous Champions League matches, the club has had results similar to Sporting. Marseille first suffered a disappointing defeat to Real Madrid, but then convincingly defeated Ajax. In their last match, the French side kept a clean sheet for the first time in six Champions League games. Overall, Roberto De Zerbi's team has also earned three points, but thanks to a better goal difference, they are 12th in the standings.
- Marseille's uncompromising streak in the Champions League has reached 28 matches (7 wins, 21 losses).
- At least one team failed to score in 7 of Marseille's last 9 away matches in this European competition.
- The club has conceded in 13 of their last 14 away games in the Champions League.
Predicted lineup for Marseille (4-2-3-1)
Geronimo Rulli – Benjamin Pavard, Nayef Aguerd, Leonardo Balerdi, Emerson Palmieri – Matt O'Riley, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Igor Paixao – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Main defender Facundo Medina is unavailable due to injury. The participation of midfielders Geoffrey Kondogbia and Amad Traore, as well as forward Amine Gouiri, remains in question.
Referee
Rade Obrenovic (Slovenia)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 36;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.1;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 0%.
Sporting vs. Marseille: Match Prediction
After the first two rounds of the Champions League, both teams have a win and a loss, and that's not the only similarity: regardless of the outcome, both teams' matches have been high-scoring. For Sporting, at least two goals have been scored in 17 of their last 18 Champions League games. The same scoring benchmark has consistently been reached in their last 15 home matches in this competition. Notably, Sporting has suffered only two defeats in their last six home Champions League games, losing to Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
Marseille hasn't drawn in the Champions League for a long time, but overall, their statistics look bleak: 20 of their last 25 matches ended in defeat. Interestingly, four of their five rare successful matches were at home. On foreign soil, the French side has avoided defeat in only 1 of their last 13 Champions League matches, and in 11 of these 13 games, at least two goals were scored.
Prediction – "1X and total over 1.5"
