Rui Borges with nearly half a dozen absentees before Rio Ave v Sporting | OneFootball

Sporting face Rio Ave this Monday in Vila do Conde. With that in mind, they began preparations this Friday for the match in the 33rd round of the Portuguese League. After the squad were given two days off, Rui Borges’ players met today at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy, but there are still four absentees.

The confirmed absences for the coach, due to injury, are Iván Fresneda, because of tendon inflammation affecting the pubic area; Morten Hjulmand, with trauma to his right ankle; João Simões, who underwent surgery on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot; and Fotis Ioannidis, due to an injury to the medial collateral ligament of his left knee.

The green and whites will train again on Saturday morning in Alcochete, with the expectation that Ioannidis may return to the coach’s plans after several months out. Hjulmand could even travel to Vila do Conde, but to be an option he would only be available for the final round of the league season, at the José Alvalade Stadium against Gil Vicente, or for the Portuguese Cup final against Torreense. Fresneda may also recover in time, but caution may advise against the full-back playing again this season. On the other hand, João Simões already knows he will only return to competition in 2026/27.

Throughout the season, several players have been forced to remain under the care of the medical department. In total, in 2025/26, only João Virgínia, Georgios Vagiannidis, Francisco Trincão and Luis Suárez have not been sidelined by injury. Nuno Santos, with 213 days out and 39 matches missed, leads in terms of time spent on the injury list.

It should be noted that the green and whites are currently in third place in the national championship, level on points with second-placed Benfica, on 76 points. Securing second place is crucial for qualification for the Champions League play-off.

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