Injured Sporting man travels with squad to Vila do Conde | OneFootball

Still recovering from a sprain to his right ankle, suffered against Porto, Morten Hjulmand is already back training on the pitch and will even travel with the Sporting squad for the match against Rio Ave, scheduled for Monday at 8:15 pm. At this stage, and given the situation, the most likely scenario is that the Denmark international will be in Vila do Conde to fulfill his role as captain, even if from off the pitch.

At a decisive stage of the season, the Dane, who missed the Lions’ last three matches, wants to be alongside his teammates, at least in the dressing room, where he may speak and motivate the group before another important game. For now, the captain’s return to the field is still highly unlikely, even if that possibility has not been completely ruled out. Rui Borges will not take risks at this stage of the season and only wants to field the midfielder when he feels fully fit.

As such, the most likely scenario appears to be Hjulmand’s return in the final round, at home against Gil Vicente, on the weekend of the 16th and 17th. After the end of the league campaign, Sporting will still have the Portuguese Cup final ahead of them, against Torreense, on the 24th, at the Estádio Nacional. With a possible departure from the club on the horizon, the Dane could leave the green and whites on a high by lifting the trophy in the country’s premier cup competition.

Without the captain, Rui Borges is expected to continue relying on Hidemasa Morita and Daniel Bragança, who will form a partnership for the third game in a row. In recent matches, the Portuguese midfielder has been one of the team’s standout performers and, with the goal scored against Vitória de Guimarães, reached his sixth of the season, with the assist coming, fittingly, from Morita.

It should be remembered that Sporting, on 76 points and currently in third place, are level on points with Benfica, who sit second. With a Champions League play-off spot in sight, the Lions will have to win their matches and hope the Eagles slip up to secure a place in Europe’s elite competition.

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