Football Bet of the Day: Sporting can teach Young Boys a lesson

Already 3-1 down after the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off tie in Switzerland, things look like they might well get worse for Young Boys at Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night (20:00).

Well beaten last week at Wankdorf Stadium, Young Boys next head to the Estadio Jose Alvalade with a daunting task ahead of them in the Portuguese capital.

Young Boys have given themselves a mountain to climb ahead of their trip to Lisbon after struggling against Sporting in Bern.

An own goal from Aurele Amenda broke the deadlock for Sporting, before Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres scored from the penalty spot.

A goal from Filip Ugrinic did give Young Boys some hope of turning the tie around in the 42nd minute, but just six minutes later Goncalo Inacio scored to restore Sporting’s two-goal advantage and make it 3-1.

To add to Young Boys’ woes, Mohamed Camara was given his marching orders for a second yellow card offence in the 88th minute and the defender will miss Thursday’s second leg in Lisbon.

Sporting impressed in that first leg and have been outstanding at home in recent months. Winning 18 of their last 19 home games in all competitions, the Estadio Jose Alvalade has been a real fortress for the Portuguese giants.

Not only have teams found points hard to come by at Sporting’s home, but many have left embarrassed by the Verde e Brancos; much to the delight of the home faithful.

Just ask Casa Pia, who suffered an 8-0 thrashing at the Estadio Jose Alvalade at the end of last month, or Sporting Braga who were beaten 5-0 in Sporting Lisbon’s last home game.

Manager Ruben Amorim has seen his side score no less than 22 goals in their last four home games in all competitions.

Amorim has given Sporting a ruthless edge and, even at 3-1 up on aggregate, the hosts will look to put the result to bed early on Thursday night.

Expect Sporting to come out of the blocks quickly and if they can get a couple of early goals, then heads in the Young Boys camp could drop.

Gyokeres has been impressive for Sporting since his move from Championship side Coventry City and the Swede will likely be a real threat on Thursday night.

With 16 goals in his first 20 league appearances of the season, Gyokeres is playing with confidence and will be eager to add to his goal tally for the campaign this week.

Given their recent scoring record at home, and the attacking players they have at their disposal, Sporting to score over 3.5 goals on the night is good value at 11/4 and makes the cut for this latest Football Bet of the Day.