Rio Ave - Sporting (2026/27): TV, likely XI, times and... | OneFootball

Sporting return to action this Friday, August 28, against Rio Ave. The match, counting for the 4th round of Liga Portugal Betclic, against the side coached by Sotiris Sylaidopoulos, will be played at 8:15 pm in Vila do Conde.

Luis Suárez is expected to start again after scoring against Alverca, at a time when the Colombian forward has been involved in several incidents off the pitch. From reports — later denied by the club — of alleged tension with teammates, to boos from some fans and recent mentions of possible interest from Barcelona and Nottingham Forest, the number 97 has been living through particularly intense weeks.

Rui Borges, however, continues to trust the player and also wants to help him regain emotional stability through competition. In the build-up to the match, the coach assured that the striker is focused and available, playing down all the controversy surrounding the forward.

As such, the trend points to the same starting XI that beat Alverca 3-1. Fresneda should keep his place on the right, with Debast and Ibrahima Ba in central defence and Maxi Araújo on the left, wearing the captain’s armband. Altimira and Doumbia will form the midfield, while Geny Catamo, Zalazar and Flávio Gonçalves complete the attacking trio behind Luis Suárez.

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