Rui Borges may already have answer to Diomande absence at Sporting | OneFootball

The final round of the Liga Portugal Betclic brings yet another defensive headache for Rui Borges, a situation that has become routine since he took charge of Sporting in December 2024. This time, the absence concerns Ousmane Diomande, who picked up his fifth yellow card against Rio Ave and will have to serve a suspension against Gil Vicente.

Eduardo Quaresma is expected to line up alongside Gonçalo Inácio in central defense, while Maxi Araújo will be in charge of the left flank.

The big question mark concerns right-back, an issue that Rui Borges himself addressed after the win in Vila do Conde. “There are two [center-backs] left, it’s not hard to guess [who will play]. At right-back? God willing, but we’ll find a solution,” commented the Sporting coach.

One of the strongest possibilities is Salvador Blopa. The 18-year-old made a memorable debut for the first team by scoring twice against Alverca in the League Cup, but then saw his progress halted by muscle problems and a subsequent relapse. Now fully recovered, the youngster is gaining ground again and could even start in Sporting’s final matchday.

The situation becomes even more significant because of Georgios Vagiannidis’ physical limitations. The Greek right-back suffered a traumatic injury during a training session at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy and is expected to face at least a week on the sidelines, remaining doubtful for Saturday’s match.

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