Farioli confirms a return and an absence for Sporting clash | OneFootball

On the eve of the reunion between FC Porto and Sporting, now for the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, Francesco Farioli spoke at a press conference. The Italian coach confirmed one player’s recovery and noted one absence.

“Martim Fernandes is back, but Zaidu will still be out. He is still in the recovery process,” he said, before commenting on the attendance record set at the Estádio do Dragão.

“There is a strong bond between the fans and the team. We always feel their support, whether at the Dragão or away from home. We are very grateful to them. This attendance record may be due to the fact that we started with a very young team that was an underdog, with a rebuilding spirit. This process has been quick. There were games in which we were not perfect, but only rarely did the fans leave the stadium feeling that we had not given everything. The team always strives to overcome difficulties and to play with the spirit of the Dragão.”

Later, in the Dragons’ medical bulletin, it was confirmed that “Martim Fernandes has now been declared fit by the medical department”.

The medical bulletin still includes the names of Nehuén Pérez (integrated training with restrictions), Zaidu (treatment), Luuk de Jong (treatment and gym), and Samu (treatment and gym).

In Tuesday’s training session, the last one before this Portuguese Cup clássico, Francesco Farioli also had defender Luís Gomes and midfielder Bernardo Lima, both from the B team.

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