Santa Clara v Sporting: Rui Borges unveils fresh-faced Lions | OneFootball

João Virgínia, Iván Fresneda, Eduardo Quaresma, Gonçalo Inácio, and Matheus Reis; Morten Hjulmand and João Simões; Salvador Blopa, Maxi Araújo, Francisco Trincão, and Luis Suárez. This should, initially, be the starting eleven for Rui Borges' Sporting for the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup.

The lions' coach is going to make an almost total overhaul in the starting lineup choices, also for the physical management of his players. Virgínia returns to the starting position in place of Rui Silva, while Fresneda and Matheus Reis take the flanks, with Quaresma and Inácio as central defenders - since Ousmane Diomande has already left Sporting to participate in the CAN.

In the midfield, Morten Hjulmand will pair with João Simões. The lions' captain was rested in the last match and will be available, while Morita was left out of the squad due to flu syndrome. The wings will be managed by Blopa and Maxi Araújo, with Trincão playing further forward, supporting the Colombian international.

To reach this stage of the main competition, Sporting has already eliminated Paços de Ferreira, 3-2 (after extra time), and in the most recent round, Marinhense, in a match played at the José Alvalade Stadium, where the lions won comfortably, 3-0.

Sporting returns to the field this Thursday, December 18th, against Santa Clara. The match, counting for the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup, against the team led by Vasco Matos, will be played at the Estádio de São Miguel, at 6:45 PM.

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