Porto row, knocks and Quenda: R. Borges before Sporting v Santa Clara | OneFootball

Sporting return home this Friday, April 3, at 8:30 pm, to face Santa Clara in Matchday 28 of the league. On the eve of the match, Rui Borges previewed the game at a press conference at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy and addressed several topics, including the controversy with Porto, Geovany Quenda’s return to training, Pote’s situation with the national team, and everyone who came back from the break carrying knocks. Check out everything he said.

What Sporting can expect from Santa Clara and Quenda’s return

"Quenda still isn’t fit. A bit more patience and a few more days are needed. He’s an important player for our team, given everything he has shown. I’m happy to see him return, but not so happy that I still can’t count on him for tomorrow. Gio [Kochorashvili] is also back, and I’m happy about that. Santa Clara still haven’t lost in their last five matches. That clearly shows the improvement they’ve made. They are a very well-organized team defensively, very strong on the counterattack, with quick players up front. They are a competitive team, one of the teams with the most cards. They will cause us problems. We have to be at our best"

Pote’s situation

"I hope he is in condition. Maybe he’s lacking match sharpness because he hasn’t had minutes, because physically he was fine. If he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have stayed until the end of the training camp. It happens with every national team. It was the coach’s decision, I hope he is motivated and I believe he is. I’ve already spoken to him. I want him to be motivated and help the team, which is what he has been doing at Sporting"

"You have to ask the national team coach. I believe that, with everything he has been doing, he is always a player who can make the difference. I make my choices at Sporting and I’m not going to comment on other people’s. I know he was fit. He had cramps in the last game and recovered in three days. They are choices"

Porto close to the title?

"I’m not going to talk about the opponent. Porto are in front, they deserve credit, and we are still in the fight. We have to focus on our own matches, starting with tomorrow’s game"

Porto’s statements and Suárez’s suspension

"I’m not going to comment on the statements. The game at the Dragão will be like the others, intense and competitive. That’s all. As for Suárez, we respect what was decided"

Controversy in handball

"I honestly don’t even know what to answer. We’re in football. We all need to grow. We’re worried about towels, forget that. Don’t make me talk about that again. My role is to coach, technically and tactically. That’s my job and my focus"

Sporting’s attack and few training sessions

"Good headaches, it’s part of it. That was one of the biggest difficulties. I believe training gives a lot to a team, repetition as well. Arriving here and not being able to train, in the middle of the season, left me very stressed. It’s part of my growth and adaptation. Tomorrow’s game... it’s about rest, getting them mentally prepared. They know what they have to do. We’re focused on what we are as a team. Through videos and images, and the little we do on the pitch, we show something strategic. Attack without Suárez? There are alternatives. Pote can play, we have Nel... We’ll see what we can put out tomorrow. Morten came back ill, Inácio carrying a knock, Rui carrying a knock, Pote lacking match sharpness. We’ll see what we can do and go in with a team that is capable"

Controversial moments in recent games against Santa Clara

"That will always exist in football. I’m not going to focus on controversy, we all make mistakes. If we focus only on controversy, football will deteriorate. We have to make it better and value it. That’s what I try to do, value the team, make it better, more capable, so the players can have a future, so they can become better"

Quenda’s management

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