Injuries, Farioli jibes and the title; Rui Borges before AFS v Sporting | OneFootball

At the press conference ahead of the match against AFS, Rui Borges addressed the seriousness of Morten Hjulmand’s injury, which could rule him out for the rest of the season, confirmed the absences of Gonçalo Inácio, Iván Fresneda and João Simões, while also responding to the jabs from Porto coach Francesco Farioli.

"It’s a stadium where we dropped points last season. We had that difficulty, which we also faced in the Portuguese Cup at home, which shows what AVS SAD are capable of. They have improved a lot in the second half of the season, even defensively. They are a very competitive team and the fact they are already relegated frees them from the pressure of the game. They are going to play against a big team, the current National Champions. They will be highly motivated and have nothing to lose, which makes them even more eager to show their true individual and collective value. A difficult match awaits us".

Morten Hjulmand injury

"We understood the seriousness of the injury right away, so much so that he was supposed to come off at half-time and the coach was stubborn. His foot was in a bad state and we will possibly not have Morten again until the end of the season. That risk is there, unfortunately. It was not a very nice challenge, but we have to move on and think about the game against AVS SAD".

Whether he believes he has a squad capable of fighting for the top places

"We have shown that at various moments this season. The whole squad has responded and given confidence to the coaching staff. Everyone matters, everyone is available and wants an opportunity to play. We have already won without Morten and without other players. Mathematically, the title is still possible and that is what we are focused on. My level of hope? A lot".

Hidemasa Morita

"He is an extremely important player. Before coming to Sporting, I had already said I was a fan of his qualities. Now that I’m here, I’m an even bigger fan. A renewal does not just depend on the Club and the coach, it also depends on the player. There are several parties involved. Of course we would like to keep counting on him, but there are things that, sometimes, are not possible for one reason or another, or because no agreement is reached. Players may want other challenges and we have to understand all that when the time comes. We count on him and believe in him a lot, he is cherished by everyone and has above-average quality. May he continue like this until the end of the season and then we’ll see".

Statements from the Porto coach

"I didn’t see or read them. I’m concerned about AVS SAD. I’m not playing Porto anymore. Fortunately, I’m at a club where they give me the freedom to always speak as I want. At others, maybe they just repeat what they’re told. I don’t, I always say what I want. My freedom of speech is connected to what I think and feel. I don’t waste time on things that make no sense to me. I’m focused on AVS SAD and I’m not going to comment on statements from the coach of a team I’ve already played against. Naturally, they spend a lot of time worrying about Sporting. That’s a good sign, a sign that Sporting really are huge".

Gonçalo Inácio

"He will be out for two or three weeks. He is out of tomorrow’s match and the next ones".

Clássico

"There is selective memory. I could talk about the match at Alvalade where Alberto could have been sent off and about several other things. There are mistakes in every game for everyone and I’m focused on AVS SAD. We reached the Portuguese Cup final, which was our objective, and we have to be happy about that".

Geovany Quenda

"He had a magnificent game against Porto. He is coming back from injury, from a few months out, and we have to understand how we need to manage his condition. He gave the kind of response he is capable of. He is an extremely important player. May he help us a lot in this final stretch, he is another great option for our attack".

Team motivation

"It’s the image of this group. It’s a team that always shows this ambition, always wants to win. It understands that, at some moments, things will not go well, that’s part of it, but it has a different mentality. They are National Champions, which says a lot about the human and sporting quality of all of them. I’m immensely proud of my team and they showed that ambition at the Dragão. Tomorrow I believe they will once again give a great response".

Torreense (opponent in the Portuguese Cup final)

"I’m happy for Torreense. I’ve been on the other side before, with lower-division teams, and I know very well how much people dream about this. May it be a beautiful final against a team that is having a great season. With the weapons they have, they will make things as difficult as possible for us. It will be a difficult match against a highly motivated team".

Fotis Ioannidis

"He is recovering and working on the pitch, not with the team. He is going through the stages he has to go through. He is better and I believe he will still help the team before the end of the season".

Medical update

"There are also Iván Fresneda and João Simões, who are unavailable for the match".

Final stretch of the season

"The workload has been enormous because of all the setbacks we have had. The injuries have taken away many opportunities for us to manage things and have overloaded some players. The motivation is there, they will want to finish the season in the best way and fight for what is still possible. We have to do our part, there is no point thinking about the rest. We are motivated by being in the Portuguese Cup final. There is fatigue, we are not denying that, and it is noticeable in some players, but the motivation to play and to want to help has been greater than that overload. I believe that is what will carry them through this difficult period".

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