Rui Borges has a fix if Zalazar misses out at Sporting | OneFootball

Flávio Gonçalves could return to the Sporting starting eleven for the away match against Braga, scheduled for the eighth round of the league. The young forward has lost some ground in recent matches, but he remains very much in Rui Borges’ plans.

The 19-year-old’s involvement will be directly linked to Rodrigo Zalazar’s physical condition. The Uruguayan midfielder is only expected to return to Lisbon after the national team’s match against India, in Calcutta, on October 6, leaving him with little time to recover before the match at the Pedreira.

Zalazar has already picked up some minutes in Uruguay’s 3-1 defeat to Japan, and against South Korea (4-1), and is expected to feature again in the national team’s upcoming fixtures. The accumulated fatigue, combined with the long trips, could lead Rui Borges to manage the player’s workload and once again make room for Flávio Gonçalves.

The youngster developed at Sporting has made a huge impact at the start of the season. He has made seven appearances, six of them as a starter, scoring three goals and providing one assist — numbers that have made him one of the standout performers in Sporting’s opening to the campaign.

In the draw against Arouca, however, Flávio Gonçalves did not come off the bench. Even so, that decision does not mean Rui Borges has lost confidence in him, and he could turn to the forward again in one of the toughest matches of this early stage of the league campaign.

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