Portuguese side Sporting face Premier League opponents Nottingham Forest ws both clubs continue preparations ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Ayomide Oguntimehin provides the lowdown for the July 31 encounter at the Estadio do Algarve in Portugal.
Sporting vs Nottingham Forest match preview
Sporting CP continue their preparations for next season, where they will be hoping to reclaim the Portuguese league title from defending champions FC Porto, who were crowned winners last season. The Lions ended the season with a disappointing defeat to Torreense in the Portuguese Cup final, but have enjoyed a perfect record in preseason so far.
They began with a 4-1 rout of Scottish champions Celtic in their opening match, before recording a 7-0 win over French side Strasbourg in their second encounter. This was followed by another 2-0 win over Monaco last weekend, as they hope to maintain their perfect record in preseason.
De regresso ao trabalho 💪 #PréÉpocaSCP pic.twitter.com/YgHJL8aCFs
— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) July 28, 2026
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, are preparing for a new spell under Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner, who replaced Vitor Pereira earlier in the summer. The Tricky Trees have enjoyed a superb start as well, winning two of their three games so far.
They defeated Notts County 2-0 in their first match of preseason, before also defeating Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in their second clash. A 1-1 draw against Vitoria SC in their last clash halted their winning momentum.
Sporting vs Nottingham Forest Head-to-Head
11.07.2009 – Sporting CP 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest recorded a 1-0 win when both sides met in a preseason fixture back in 2009, in their most recent meeting.
Best betting odds
Home (Sporting CP) to Win or Draw – 1.40
Prediction
Sporting CP are the better side at the moment recording impressive wins over opponents so far and have enough quality to seal a favourable result against Nottingham Forest.
Recent form: Sporting
Sporting have been in superb form in recent outings, winning all three of their preseason matches so far.
The Portuguese side have averaged four goals a game and have also kept two clean sheets during this period, conceding just one goal in the process.
We continued our pre-season preparations in Portugal with a 1-1 draw against Primeira Liga side Vitória. 🇵🇹
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 26, 2026
Recent form: Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest have also been very impressive so far in recent outings and are unbeaten in their three preseason games so far.
The Tricky Trees have also kept two clean sheets during this period and have conceded just one goal, during the 1-1 draw with Vitoria SC in their last outing.
Player to watch
Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)
Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi will be hoping for another impressive display if given the chance against Sporting.
The 28-year-old’s holdup play and physicality makes him a big threat in the box for his side and will be hoping to get on the scoresheet once again.
