Like many teams across Europe this season, Tondela will be navigating through some unfamiliar waters. The team, nicknamed the "Auriverdes" due to their yellow and green colors, are playing in Portuguese football's top flight for the first time in their history. It has been nothing short of an impressive meteoric rise for the club, which was founded in 1933 and only got their first taste of the professional division just a few seasons ago. In fact, they achieved their debut in the Segunda Liga during the 2012/2013 campaign, which saw them finish tenth, and made a slight improvement on that result by finishing ninth during the 2013/2014 term.
Naturally, no one could have anticipated their excellent showings during the most recent season, which resulted in them finishing top of the second-tier and thus ensuring their promotion to the Primeira Liga. Whilst no one is obviously expecting them to be able to match the power of Portugal's "Big Three" - their upcoming opponents Sporting, record-title winners Benfica, and Porto - Vítor Paneira's side will be certainly keen on trying their very best to ensure that their stay in the top tier is not just a "blink and you'll miss it" occurrence.
The hosts, who play their matches at the small Estádio João Cardoso which has a capacity of just 3,000 spectators, will be coming into this game having won their last three friendly matches and have just lost one out of their last five clashes. However, this solid record will obviously come under threat as they will be welcoming Sporting, who have had an impressive pre-season including beating Serie A runners-up Roma 2-0 at the start of this month.
Under the tutelage of ex-Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, the Leões, who had to settle for third in the league last season, powered past the current Primeira Liga champions 1-0 to clinch the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (Portuguese Super Cup). It also means that Jesus, who began his own professional career with Sporting, now has won 12 titles as a manger, which are currently the most trophies won by a Portuguese coach.
As is the case in football - and probably other team sports as well - a switch to a bitter rival is not without a whole slew of controversy. Whilst most of the chatter is oftentimes about a player, a move by a coach is certain to make some waves, and after six successful seasons and a record-setting ten titles with the Águias, Jesus opted to trek across Portugal's capital and has begun his tenure on the Sporting bench in the best way possible: by defeating a bitter rival in the first trophy clash of the new season.
Following the win, the former midfielder ruffled some feathers with his comments, remarking that "Benfica were scared of Sporting and that is down to how we started the game", and it will indeed be interesting when he faces off against his ex-club later this season.
Both teams, naturally, will have vastly different objectives. Tondela, to put it simply, will be hoping to just make it through the season without being relegated. Sporting, on the other hand, are searching for their first title win since 2002 and to break the stranglehold that Porto and Benfica have enjoyed on the league's top spot for the past thirteen seasons.
With Benfica and Porto not playing their first matches until this weekend, Sporting can temporarily assume top spot of of the league should they win later today. Will Jorge Jesus take one small step towards guiding his team to their first league title in over a decade with a victory on the road? Or will Primeira Liga debutants Tondela keep the good times rolling by recording what would be a historic win at their home ground?
Make sure you don't miss out on what looks like to be a David vs. Goliath match as the 2015/2016 Primeira Liga gets underway! You can check out our special Tondela vs. Sporting match page here at LiveSoccerTV for all viewing and streaming information for wherever you currently call home.
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