 After a long recovery, Niculae finally returned to regular first team action in the match against Leixões, scoring Sporting's second in a 5–1 win in the Portuguese supercup.He did not find the net again until November when he scored in a 2–0 home win over Marítimo and a 3–1 away win over Beira-Mar.He also scored his first goal for Sporting in the Portuguese Cup in a 4–1 away win against Estarreja.