Iván Fresneda sparks concern at Estrela-Sporting; why he went off | OneFootball

Iván Fresneda was substituted at half-time in Estrela da Amadora - Sporting by Georgios Vagiannidis due to “physical complaints”, Rui Borges confirmed, raising some concern at a decisive stage of the season. The Spanish full-back’s issue comes just a few days before the trip to Arsenal for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, and the derby against Benfica.

"As for Fresneda, he came off because of physical complaints. With the accumulation of minutes and matches, we chose to take him off at half-time," said the green-and-white coach, who, in managing the squad, chose to leave Gonçalo Inácio out and not start Ousmane Diomande, both at risk of suspension for the clash.

“It was by choice. He has played a lot of minutes and there is the issue of the cards. He came back carrying a knock from the national team, so we opted for this management. Quaresma and Debast deserved the trust,” Rui Borges explained, justifying the changes in central defence.

Vagiannidis, another player at risk, also avoided a fifth yellow card, keeping him available for the derby. João Simões, who had been doubtful, ultimately was not an option for the match. In midfield, Daniel Bragança was named in the starting line-up and earned praise from the coach. “He did very well,” assessed Rui Borges, pleased with the midfielder’s response during a demanding stretch of Sporting’s schedule.

The green-and-white side return to action next Wednesday, 15 April, against Arsenal. The match, the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Mikel Arteta’s team, will be played at the Emirates Stadium at 20:00.

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