Sporting set to welcome Fotis Ioannidis back, return date revealed | OneFootball

Fotis Ioannidis was left out of Sporting's squad for the trip to Norway against Bodø/Glimt and is also unlikely to recover in time for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, scheduled for March 17, at Alvalade.

The Greek forward continues to experience pain in the lateral ligament area of his left knee, a region considered sensitive by the Club's Performance Unit. Since it is a recurrence of a previous injury suffered in November, the club's medical team has chosen not to take risks at this stage of the season.

In the absence of the Greek international, coach Rui Borges has been relying on Rafael Nel, a 20-year-old forward from the B team, to strengthen the attacking options. This is expected to happen again during the team's visit to Norway, as he traveled with the rest of the squad.

Currently, the estimated recovery time for Ioannidis is about two weeks, which casts doubt on his presence in the league match against Alverca, scheduled for the weekend of March 22. After this match, the League takes a break for international commitments, a period that could give the player more time to fully recover and be an option for Sporting.

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