Sporting returns give Rui Borges plenty of headaches | OneFootball

As the international break progresses, good news arrives for Sporting in the form of players recovering from the physical issues they experienced at the start of the season. This means that Rui Borges should have more options in the upcoming games, and some positive headaches in choosing the starting eleven for the matches ahead for the green and whites.

The first doubt will arise in the defensive axis: Ousmane Diomande is close to returning and is likely to send Zeno Debast back to the bench. The Ivorian started the season as a starter but lost his place to the Belgian due to injury, but the Portuguese coach of Sporting is expected to return to his initial choice soon.

On the flanks, there are also decisions to be made: firstly, on the left wing, due to the return to competition of Maxi Araújo. The Uruguayan is not yet ready to play 90 minutes but can start putting pressure on Ricardo Mangas, who took over the left-back position in his absence.

On the other side, more decisions to make: Iván Fresneda started the season in the starting lineup, a position he has not yet lost. However, Vagiannidis is quickly adapting to Alvalade, and it wouldn't be surprising if Rui Borges decides to swap the two regarding the starting position. Further up on the right wing, there are still doubts about keeping Geny Catamo as a starter or starting Geovany Quenda, something that hasn't happened yet in 2025/26.

Finally, the midfield is also a topic: Kochorashvili was started against Porto, due to Morita's physical difficulties. The Japanese player is highly appreciated by Rui Borges, but the Georgian is working well to make life difficult for the green and white coach. The others should have their positions secured, although the arrival of Ioannidis could also threaten Luis Suárez's starting position in the green and white attack.

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