Rui Borges confirms it! Sporting injury returnee back in the squad | OneFootball

Rui Borges, coach of Sporting, held a press conference this Wednesday, September 17th, to preview the match against Kairat Almaty, scheduled for tomorrow at 8:00 PM at the José Alvalade Stadium, for the first round of the Champions League. The coach confirmed that Pedro Gonçalves and Hidemasa Morita, who have been sidelined due to injury, are called up.

"Regarding Pote and Morita, both are called up for the game", he mentioned. When asked if the 'number 8' will start, he stated that there are several options open: "If Pote doesn't play, there are other solutions, but he is called up. There's Maxi, Fotis, Alisson, Lucas Anjos, who is also called up. There are several solutions".

Hidemasa Morita has thus recovered from the physical issues that affected him in recent weeks and participated in Sporting's training this Wednesday morning, during which the absence of Pedro Gonçalves was noted, as he stayed to work in the gym. Nevertheless, both are fit for the duel.

The coach also talked about the watch he has used as a lucky charm for over 10 years: "So far, I always have the right time. It brought me to Sporting. It's a watch that has always accompanied me, it's one of those quirks that coaches have... for what it means in reminding me of our journey as a coaching team and where I came from. It's symbolic but I like it", he said.

After a 2024/25 season plagued by various physical problems, Hidemasa Morita - valued at 13 million euros - has already played four games in this new Sporting season. The Japanese midfielder has accumulated 259 minutes of play, always as a starter in Rui Borges' lineup.

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