Ioannidis called up for Benfica v Sporting, but there's a big catch | OneFootball

Fotis Ioannidis has been conditionally called up for the Benfica - Sporting match. The Greek international showed up pain-free on the eve of the derby and, this Friday morning, December 5, will still undergo a final test so that the Lions can be certain of his physical condition.

According to the newspaper Record, the striker actually joined the rest of the green and white squad for the training camp and, if he gets the green light from Sporting’s Performance Unit, Rui Borges will have no problem taking him to the match, with the option of bringing him off the bench.

As a precaution, Rodrigo Ribeiro was also called up to the Lions’ squad. The young Sporting striker is Rui Borges’ alternative in case Ioannidis is not deemed fit. However, even if the Greek is included on the team sheet, the coach knows he is limited to playing between 15 and 20 minutes.

It’s worth remembering that, in the pre-match press conference, Rui Borges did not hide that, at the time, no decision had yet been made about the player: “Ioannidis is still in doubt. I don’t know if he’ll be called up... It may happen, it may not.”

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Fotis Ioannidis – valued at 22 million euros – has played 13 matches. The 25-year-old Greek international striker has played 563 minutes, during which he has already scored four goals and provided three assists for the green and whites.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.