Sporting Lisbon will aim to recover from their recent European defeat when they host newly promoted Academico de Viseu at the Estadio Jose Alvalade this Sunday for the ninth round of the Portuguese top division. Rui Borges's team remains unbeaten in the league after eight games, currently positioned third in the Primeira Liga standings. Their opponents, Academico de Viseu, have surpassed expectations since their promotion and are placed seventh. Sporting has secured victories in five of their first eight league encounters, but they find themselves trailing in the title chase, sitting just one point behind city rivals Benfica and six points behind league leaders Porto, who have won all their matches so far. Last season, the Lions finished second and were unable to defend their title for a third consecutive year. However, they returned to winning form in the Primeira Liga with a 3-1 win over Braga, breaking a streak of consecutive draws against Famalicao and Arouca. Despite this, Borges's side faced a setback on Wednesday, losing 3-2 at home to Champions League newcomers LASK Linz, despite an early goal from Luis Suarez, who also netted their second. This defeat marked the end of Sporting's unbeaten run in all competitions. The match also underscored their struggles in maintaining leads, as they have dropped six points from winning positions in the Primeira Liga this season, a trend that could hinder their pursuit of Porto. A notable example of this issue was their 2-2 draw against Arouca, where Sporting relinquished a two-goal lead. Nevertheless, this remains their only dropped points at home in four league matches this season. On the other hand, Academico de Viseu has made a strong return to the Primeira Liga, amassing 14 points from their first eight matches in their first top-flight season since 1988-89, following their promotion from the second tier last year.