Rui Borges gave players a wake-up call before Sporting v Club Brugge | OneFootball

Rui Borges is said to have given Sporting’s squad a ‘shake-up’ after the match against Marinhense in the Portuguese Cup, already with an eye on the upcoming home game against Club Brugge, which will take place next Wednesday, November 26, in the Champions League.

According to the newspaper Record, the green and white coach wants the Lions’ team to approach the match against the Belgians as a true final, aiming for the players to understand that qualification for the next stage of the prestigious competition is in their hands.

Although it is not entirely guaranteed that, by beating Club Brugge, Sporting will advance to the playoff for the Champions League round of 16 as a seeded team, the path becomes much easier. The truth is that, the combination of several scenarios at the end of this fifth round of the competition could very well propel the Lions towards the goal previously set by the management and coaching staff – which is to progress to the next stage.

Since Rui Borges is well aware of what is at stake, the coach made a point of conveying these ideas to his players, especially emphasizing that reaching 10 points in the Champions League is ultimately an obligation for the Alvalade club.

At this stage, Rui Borges’ men have seven points in the Champions League and are in 13th place in the UEFA competition’s standings. In the first four matches, Sporting beat Kairat (4-1), lost to Napoli (2-1), defeated Marseille (2-1) and drew with Juventus (1-1).

The green and white team will be back on the pitch next Wednesday, November 26, against Club Brugge. The match, counting for the fifth round of the Champions League, against the side led by Nicky Hayen, will be played at the Estádio de Alvalade at 8:00 p.m.

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