Sporting clinched the Primeira Liga championship in impressive style last season, amassing 90 points and scoring 96 goals across 34 games.
Despite attracting interest from other teams, they have successfully retained their highly-regarded manager Ruben Amorim and goal-scoring sensation Viktor Gyokeres, and they are eager to kick off their Champions League journey on a high note.
Visiting side Lille secured a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season and navigated past Fenerbahce and Slavia Prague in closely contested qualifying matches to advance to the group stage.
Team news
Sporting's goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic is uncertain due to an ankle injury, potentially paving the way for Franco Israel to step in once more, while defender Jeremiah St Juste will definitely be missing.
England's Angel Gomes is expected to feature in Lille's midfield, but Ismaily, Hakon Haraldsson, and Ngal'ayel Mukau are sidelined, with Ethan Mbappe carrying a minor injury concern.
The stats
Sporting have convincingly won three of their last five home league games by a 3-0 margin and have kept clean sheets in four of their last five Primeira Liga home matches.
The Portuguese champions have taken the lead in five of their last six Champions League fixtures.
Lille have suffered defeats in their past three outings across all competitions, falling behind at both half-time and full-time in each of those games.
Only one of Lille's eight matches this season has witnessed more than 3.5 goals.
Prediction
Sporting's Europa League journey last season concluded in the round of 16 with a 3-2 aggregate loss to Atalanta, who later eliminated Liverpool and convincingly defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the final.
The Portuguese champions are expected to be competitive in the expanded Champions League and are poised to begin their campaign with a triumphant home display against Lille.
Sporting have emerged victorious in their last 19 home encounters in the Primeira Liga and commenced their title defense with five consecutive wins, including a 2-0 triumph over Porto.
In their victory against Porto, they netted twice in the final 20 minutes, showcasing their ability to take control late in games. With a formidable attacking trio comprising Gyokeres, Pedro Goncalves, and Francisco Trincao, Sporting could potentially secure an early lead on Tuesday.
Despite possessing talented individuals such as the up-and-coming Gomes from England and striker Jonathan David from Canada, Lille have endured a run of three consecutive defeats across all competitions.
Lille managed to score only 52 goals in 34 Ligue 1 fixtures last season and suffered a 1-0 loss to St-Etienne in their most recent away fixture, conceding the deciding goal in the sixth minute.