Rui Borges makes call on starter for Porto v Sporting | OneFootball

The 2024/2025 season was particularly difficult for Pote. A muscle injury kept him out of competition for about 150 days, equivalent to five months, between November and April, during which he missed 33 games. Before that, the midfielder had already spent approximately a month in the medical department, a situation that prevented him from playing in seven more Sporting matches, but everything is close to turning around.

The start of the season was positive, highlighted by a hat-trick scored against Nacional in the third round of the championship. However, another muscle injury interrupted his progress: first between November 9 and 27, then from December 8 to January 23. His return was managed gradually by Rui Borges, with careful management to avoid relapses.

Pote played 21 minutes in Arouca, followed by 36 minutes against Athletic Bilbao, a game in which he assisted Trincão, and returned to the starting lineup against Nacional, scoring a goal. In the Portuguese Cup, against AFS, he only came on in the 68th minute, in a match where his performance did not have the desired impact.

In that game, Luís Guilherme stood out, scoring the first goal, but the Brazilian is expected to leave the starting eleven in the classic. For that position on the right side of the trio supporting Luis Suárez, the option is likely to fall on Geny Catamo. Francisco Trincão will move to the central corridor, Daniel Bragança will leave the starting eleven, and Pote is expected to take the left wing.

Rui Borges values the 'number 8' for his ability to reach the goal, tactical intelligence in a game expected to be balanced, composure in decision-making, and quality in linking up with the striker. The accumulated experience in big games, both nationally and in Europe, is another factor considered by the coach.

This season, Pote scored against Benfica in the first-round derby. In clashes with the rival, he has five goals and three assists in 14 games. Against Porto, he has two goals in 13 matches for Sporting, adding another goal in two games for Famalicão. In total for the season, he has scored 11 goals in 23 matches, which corresponds to an average of 0.47 goals per game.

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