Bednarek, Sainz & De Jong fit for Sintrense clash | OneFootball

The FC Porto squad resumes training this afternoon at the Jorge Costa Training and Sports Development Center in Olival, beginning preparations for the match against Sintrense, scheduled for Saturday at the Estádio do Dragão, in the 4th round of the Portuguese Cup.

After the victory against Famalicão last Sunday, Francesco Farioli granted the team five days off, although four players continued to visit the blue and white headquarters daily. Bednarek, Nehuén Pérez, Borja Sainz, and Luuk de Jong are on the medical report and, to speed up recovery, have been training in recent days under the guidance of the medical department.

Each case is different, and regarding the Polish center-back and the Spanish winger—both excused from their respective national teams (Borja for the Basque Country)—the prospects are favorable. The injuries do not seem serious: Bednarek suffered a strain in the left knee ligament, and Sainz a trauma to the right ankle, so it is possible that both will be fit to face Sintrense. Even so, Farioli may prefer not to take risks, considering that both are among the 'top-5' most used players.

Nehuén Pérez, however, will be out for an extended period—he ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg and faces several months of recovery. Luuk de Jong is nearing his return: the Dutch forward has entered the final phase of recovery from a left knee injury suffered at the beginning of September, and although it is premature to point him for the Portuguese Cup, everything indicates that he may return against Nice on the 27th, or at the latest, against Estoril on the 30th.

Before the match with Famalicão, Farioli spoke about the situation of the 35-year-old striker. "We are eager for him to be fit. Luuk and the medical staff are doing a fantastic job. He has already started training on the pitch, doing some sessions with the ball. The reaction is positive, although he still has to deal with some pain. We hope that after the international break, he will return to training with the team," said the FC Porto coach. Everything, however, depends on De Jong's response in the last few days; this positive evolution could even bring forward the return of the number 26 to integrated training.

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