Rui Borges on contract talks, L. Guilherme, elections before Sporting v Bodø/Glimt | OneFootball

Sporting faces Bodø/Glimt in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. In the pre-match preview, Rui Borges assured that the team fully believes in the possibility of overturning the 3-0 disadvantage from the first match.

"I believe a lot. I said it right after the game in Bodø. I know the challenges will be great, but I have a lot of faith in the individual and collective resilience this team has shown throughout the season. It's not a game that defines us. The team has shown that it really wants to give a different image and prove that it is capable of continuing to make Sporting's history in a positive way, doing something unprecedented and extraordinary. We know we have to play an almost perfect game, and we are aiming for that. Their ambition is enormous and has been evident from the very first day I arrived at Sporting, and that's what will happen tomorrow for sure."

Support from the fans

"The affection and belief that the fans have shown have been fantastic. If there's a team capable, due to its resilience and ability to respond, it's ours. If there's a stadium where extraordinary things can happen, it's ours, and that's largely due to the strength of our fans. Tomorrow will certainly be extraordinary as well, so that together we can write another positive chapter in Sporting's history."

Availability of Luís Guilherme

"Unfortunately, yesterday in the last move of training, he had a traumatic knock, he's being evaluated, and we'll see if there's a possibility for him to contribute to the team."

Contract renewal

"I have a contract until 2027. I am happy here, focused on doing something extraordinary together with my players. They deserve very much for us to be capable. It's something difficult, but it can also mark us in the future. They deserve it more than anyone."

Dissatisfaction of the fans in Bodø

"It's natural. We are in a big club, the demand is enormous, we really want to keep winning. Neither they nor we were happy, but if we weren't the best in the world for beating PSG, we're not the worst for a less successful game. It doesn't erase everything we've shown."

Possible tactical variation of the opponent

"Very honestly, I don't think they will change anything. That's why I said they didn't surprise me, because we knew very well what they are capable of. They have beaten not only Sporting but also teams that are contenders to win the competition. They are a truly capable team, and in that sense, they didn't surprise us. The surprise was that we weren't able to give a different response. It has a lot to do with the intensity with which we perform the task, individually and collectively, and we weren't able to have the right intensity to nullify Bodø. We already have half a warning, and a good warning, but it's no use lamenting anything. We need to see what we weren't capable of and why. We've done that in recent days, and we want to give a different response tomorrow. That resilience, ambition I was talking about. We will have to be more courageous, bold, and ambitious still. We are looking for goals, I believe we will score them, but we cannot concede. We are aware of the difficulty and the risks we will have to take. The game lasts 90 minutes, and we won't have the same intensity all the time, but we have to be prepared for all moments of the game."

Lack of ambition in big games?

"These are interpretations, opinions. I don't live by status, I live by work. My work speaks for me. And thank God I'm at Sporting for all the competence and work that we as a technical team have shown. I would respond with several data: in offensive terms, we are the best team in the championship, in Europe we should be as well, at home we are very strong, we finished seventh in the League Phase when no one would believe it. As I said, I wasn't the best in the world when I beat PSG, I'm not one of the worst for losing to Bodø."

Criticism of the league game postponement

"The regulations are the same for everyone, the rights are ours and any other team's. We only exercised the right we had. That's all. The idea was to have some rest time, especially since we were coming from games with a high degree of demand, with quite a lot of physical and mental wear."

Criticism from the Norwegian press on the forwards' pressing moment

"More than looking at the individual, I look at the collective. It wasn't just because of the forwards that we didn't have the correct intensity. This group is managed collectively, and that's what also focuses them. They are a great team, they are very friendly, they all respect each other, and when they win, they all win. When they lose, they all lose. Tomorrow will be a necessarily different game. It will require more audacity from us, it will expose us at some moments, but I also know that the players' belief is so great that they will give a fantastic response against a great team, which in terms of game intensity is one of the best I've seen as a coach."

"They deserve credit for being in the round of 16 and have beaten teams that are contenders to win the title. They deserve to be seen as a great team, capable of competing against any opponent. Football is increasingly demanding individually and collectively, and they keep up with this required intensity. That's why, at these levels, it was one of the best teams I've seen as a coach. Their physical capacity is out of the ordinary."

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