THE Sporting started the new 2026/27 season with the mission of regaining the title of national champion, but the first two games immediately left a warning sign in the defense.
Against Estrela da Amadora (2-2) and Vitória SC (3-2), Rui Borges’ Lions conceded four goals, a record that had not been seen since 2004/05.
But there is one more piece of information that serves to trigger all the alarms in Alvalade. FC Porto, who became national champions in 2025/26, had conceded just four goals until the 20th round, when they lost in Rio Maior, against Casa Pia (1-2), with Diogo Costa scoring the fifth and sixth goals in the championship.
In other words, the Dragons needed another 18 rounds to concede the same four goals that Sporting already conceded in the first two.
Last season left a clear lesson: to be champion, it’s not enough to score more. You need to suffer less. Looking at the balance of 2025/26, FC Porto managed to be champion with six more points than Sporting and eight more than Benfica, despite having scored fewer goals than their rivals – 23 less than the Lions and nine less against the Eagles
What really made the difference was the less leaked defense, played by Farioli’s Dragons: only 18 goals conceded in a total of 34 rounds, while Sporting conceded 24 and Benfica 25.
New guardian flagged
The revolution that Sporting’s squad underwent this summer seems to be having consequences at the start of the season, particularly when it comes to defending. Rui Silva continues to gain the confidence of Rui Borges to be the starter in goal, but the Portuguese international was directly linked to the draw at Reboleira and is beginning to be the target of criticism from Leon fans.
Rui Silva’s moment gains even more relevance given a decision taken by the Leonine structure: Sporting once again looked to the market in search of a new guardian. Among the names on Sporting’s target list is Kaique Pereiraplayer from Palmeiras, owned by Abel Ferreira, who already has I League experience, as he wore the Farense and Nacional jerseys in the recent past.
At 23 years old, Kaique Pereira appears as one of the options on the table to reinforce the Leonine goal, while the future of João Virgínia, Rui Silva’s usual substitute, may also not involve Alvalade.
Defensive axis is also a concern
The departure of Ousmane Diomande to Nottingham Forest led Rui Borges to change the defensive axis, and the new central duo is now made up of Eduardo Quaresma and Gonçalo Inácio. The two are ‘the best of the house’, but they still seem to be far from being in perfect harmony.
The weaknesses highlighted in the first rounds could, however, lead Rui Borges to change the duo, particularly when Zeno Debast and reinforcement Ibrahima Ba, who motivated an investment of over 20 million euros this summer, are physically fit to fight for the starting line-up.
With or without changes, Sporting’s coach is forced to fine-tune the defensive quartet otherwise the team will not show the consistency necessary to regain the title it celebrated in May 2025.
