Rui Borges makes bold call after Sporting v Vitória SC clash | OneFootball

The draw (1-1) in the championship against Gil Vicente and, above all, the 2-1 defeat to Vitória de Guimarães in the semi-final of the League Cup left evident marks on Sporting's squad. The setback in Leiria, sealed in the final moments of the match, reinforced the sense of frustration in a group that once again conceded decisive goals in the closing stages of games. With the next match scheduled for the 16th against Casa Pia, Rui Borges believes it is crucial to "clear the head" and refocus the team to prevent the negative moment from continuing.

Precisely because he felt emotions were still too raw, the coach of the green and whites chose not to speak to the group after the elimination against the team from Guimarães. The message will be saved for Friday, the day training resumes, after two days off granted to the squad.

Even before the match with Vitória de Guimarães, Sporting was already dealing with a complicated scenario in the medical department, with five players injured, two recovering physical condition, two on duty with their national teams in the AFCON, and one suspended. The match in Leiria further aggravated this situation. Fotis Ioannidis left the field at the 22nd minute due to discomfort in his left knee, a situation not serious but requiring immediate management. More serious was the case of Eduardo Quaresma, who suffered a head collision, but has already been operated on and has started his recovery.

For the game against Casa Pia, Rui Borges will not be able to count on Morten Hjulmand and Maxi Araújo, both suspended. On the other hand, Gonçalo Inácio returns after serving a suspension, Zeno Debast is available again after recovering from injury, and Geny Catamo rejoins the squad after Mozambique was eliminated from the AFCON, thus strengthening the coach's options.

Sporting will host Casa Pia on the 16th at 8:15 PM at Estádio José Alvalade, in the 18th round of the championship. Four days later, the challenge intensifies with the match against PSG, in the penultimate round of the Champions League, a duel that promises to test the physical and mental response of the lions to the limit.

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