Rui Borges sweating over Maxi Araújo, eyes Sporting replacement | OneFootball

Maxi Araújo and Rodrigo Zalazar are unlikely to be able to contribute to Sporting in the away trip to Braga, scheduled for October 9. Both have been called up by Uruguay for a demanding tour of the East and are only expected to return to Lisbon virtually on the eve of Sporting’s trip to Minho.

combined with the accumulated fatigue, should mean that Maxi and Zalazar only arrive in the Portuguese capital on the 8th, when Sporting leave for Braga.

Maxi’s situation creates an additional headache for Rui Borges.Moncef Zekri is still following a specific muscle-strengthening program and has yet to make his debut for Sporting, but the international break could be important in bringing him closer to the required condition to come into the first-team options.

The Lions even contacted the Moroccan Federation so that Zekri could remain in Alcochete during this period and continue his individual plan. Although Sporting do not want to rush the full-back, Maxi’s likely absence could open the door to a first call-up for the match at Pedreira.

If the youngster is still not ready, Rodrigo Dias emerges as an alternative. The B team defender already replaced Maxi in the first round of the league, against Estrela da Amadora, when the Uruguayan was serving a suspension, and remains a familiar option for Rui Borges on the left flank.

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