Rui Borges on Benfica’s transfer plans before Sporting clash 🦅 | OneFootball

Sport Lisboa e Benfica will host Sporting next Friday, December 5, and Rui Borges, the Lions’ coach, has already set the stage for the eternal derby, which is generating some controversy. In the pre-match press conference, the rival coach addressed the current form of the Eagles, José Mourinho’s adaptation, and even the upcoming transfer market, giving a slight edge to Benfica due to the home advantage.

Regarding the construction of the Benfica squad and the work of the Special One, Rui Borges was clear in his analysis: "I have exactly the same respect for mister José Mourinho as I do for mister Bruno Lage. I believe that since Mourinho didn’t build the team himself, he has had to adapt a bit to the players he has. I believe he’ll want to put more of his own ideas into practice after the transfer window."

The coach of the green and whites downplayed controversies and focused on the spectacle: "I look at this game as I do all others. With respect for the opponent, for the coach, whom I’ve already said I admire a lot. But tomorrow [Friday] it’s Sporting against Benfica and I’ll say it again: may it be a great match, played with respect and well contested."

Asked who is the favorite going into the 13th round clash, Rui Borges acknowledged the strength of the atmosphere at Luz: "Favoritism? I’ll answer as I did before our match here with Porto. I said it was 50/50, but we had a slight edge for playing at home. We ended up losing, though. Benfica has a small advantage in that sense, but I think it’s very evenly matched. May it be a great game and may we continue to be the team we’ve been in terms of technical and tactical growth."

Benfica vs Sporting is scheduled for next Friday, December 5, at 8:15 PM, at Estádio da Luz. The match is part of the 13th round of Liga Portugal Betclic and is particularly important for Benfica, who must win to stay in the title race and try to close the gap to their rivals.

Summary of the news about what Rui Borges said in the Benfica – Sporting preview:

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