Rui Borges’ tough message to the Sporting squad revealed | OneFootball

Sporting enters the final stretch of the calendar year with high confidence, bolstered by a positive run in domestic competitions: eight wins in the last nine games, split between the League, Portuguese Cup, and Allianz Cup. Even so, Rui Borges made a point of leaving a message to the group, reminding them that there is no room to relax before Christmas Eve.

The Lions face two highly demanding fixtures before Christmas. The first takes place this Wednesday, in the Azores, against Santa Clara, in a knockout duel that grants access to the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup. Next, the following Tuesday, comes a trip to Guimarães for the 15th round of Liga Portugal Betclic, a historically tough ground for the green and whites.

Internally, the coach has emphasized the importance of maximum concentration, reminding everyone that any sign of complacency can be costly. Especially since recent history serves as a warning: just over a month ago, Sporting only managed to win in São Miguel by the narrowest of margins (2-1), and on their last visit to Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, they let two points slip away in a crazy draw (4-4), with Rui Borges already on the Vimaranense bench.

The message will, in fact, be reinforced this morning, at the press conference previewing the main cup match, scheduled for 12:30 pm. Despite an almost flawless away record in national competitions this season—only halted by the draw with Benfica (1-1)—Sporting’s coach insists on a cautious approach, focused exclusively on the immediate challenges.

The green and white emblem will take to the field again next Thursday, December 18, against Santa Clara, in a match for the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup. The match against the team led by Vasco Matos will be played at 6:45 pm, away, in the Azores.

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