Sporting v Casa Pia: Rui Borges shuffles his line-up and reaches milestone | OneFootball

The Sporting once again presents itself with changes in the starting eleven, and thus, Rui Borges will reach the mark of 24 changes in 30 official matches this season. The scenario repeats itself match after match, due to a context marked by injuries, suspensions, and international commitments, which have prevented the coach from stabilizing the team, something he has always considered one of his main goals since the beginning of the season.

So far, the lions have played 29 matches and only on one occasion have they lined up with the same eleven in consecutive games, from the 2nd to the 3rd round of the championship, against Arouca and Nacional. The constant rotation has been an unavoidable reality for Rui Borges, who has been seeking solutions within the squad to maintain competitiveness, despite the limitations imposed by successive absences.

Even the most used eleven this season was only repeated in three matches, against Tondela, Alverca, and Santa Clara. This team included Rui Silva, Iván Fresneda, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Maxi Araújo, Morten Hjulmand, João Simões, Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Pote, and Luis Suárez. This data clearly illustrates the difficulty in creating consistent routines.

Despite the optimistic public discourse, Rui Borges - who is starting to be able to breathe - did not hide his frustration after the elimination in the League Cup against V. Guimarães, a game in which Eduardo Quaresma and Ioannidis were injured. “Sporting is a case study, everything has happened to us,” the coach lamented, highlighting the succession of setbacks that have marked the green and white season.

Rui Borges will be forced to make changes again. Morten Hjulmand and Maxi Araújo are serving suspensions, opening space for Morita or Kochorasvilli in the midfield, while Diomande, Geny Catamo, and Gonçalo Inácio return to the options. Remember that the match against Casa Pia is scheduled for Friday, January 16, at 8:15 PM.

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