Sporting boss previews clash with Club Brugge: toughest opponent so far | OneFootball

Sporting’s under-19 team is preparing for another European matchday and, before hosting Club Brugge at Alvalade at 8:00 pm, the juniors will play against the Belgian team at the Academy, with the match taking place in Alcochete at 1:00 pm. In the preview of the Youth League match, João Gião drew attention to the potential of the opponent.

"It is, without a doubt, the toughest opponent we have faced so far, the numbers show it, beyond the qualitative analysis we have done. They are a very strong team, full of Belgium under-19 internationals, but also under-21 players and most of their players compete mainly in the Belgian second division," said the Sporting coach to Sporting TV.

The coach highlighted the green and white team’s journey in the competition: "We haven’t always been perfect, but this team has a lot of room to grow. Tomorrow is another challenge and another story, where we have to be as competitive as possible, despite the limitations."

Despite the projected difficulties, João Gião showed himself "confident” in a “good response": "It’s a shame we have some absences that don’t allow us to be at our full potential, because it’s a very challenging game, but we have to look at it positively. In other words, it’s an opportunity to see players who haven’t yet been exposed to this kind of context and that will help them in their development," he explained.

At this point, the green and white team - which drew with Juventus - has eight points and is in 14th place, while the Belgian side is fifth with 12 points. Besides winning all their European matches, Club Brugge is the only team yet to concede a goal.

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