Sporting v PSG: Rui Borges reveals keys to big Champions League test

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·20 janvier 2026

Sporting v PSG: Rui Borges reveals keys to big Champions League test

This Tuesday at 9 PM (broadcast on Canal+) Paris Saint-Germain (3rd) faces Sporting Portugal (14th) at the José Alvalade Stadium as part of the 7th day of the 2025-2026 Champions League. In a press conference, Portuguese coach Rui Borges spoke about this match and the Parisian opponent.

Borges "It will be a great Champions League match"

Will combativeness be essential? "It will be a great Champions League match. We will need to show the maturity we have demonstrated in competition. Alvalade has been our fortress. Sporting, at home and away, has shown its style and personality, and we must be able to reproduce that. It may be the best team in Europe, the one that won the trophy, a great team.

Borges "Above all, this match must be a source of pride for us"

We were lucky in the draw: we faced two of the three best teams, Bayern and PSG, as well as Arsenal. Above all, this match must be a source of pride for us, a challenge and a motivation to face the best, show that we are up to the task and fight alongside them.

Borges "Every player who enters the game will be extremely motivated"

Are you intimidated by the idea of facing the Champions League titleholders tomorrow? Does Hjulmand's absence worry you? The torpor is beginning to dissipate. God willing, Diomande and Pote will be back next week. They make the team more efficient and stronger. It's the best team, collectively and individually, and it will be a big challenge. Every player who enters the game will be extremely motivated. Sporting has demonstrated the greatness of this collective. Tomorrow, it will be the same. The important thing is to know who is available today. Regarding Hulmand, someone else will play, we play with eleven. They will respond as best they can. Above all, it's the group that counts. The proof that everyone is capable and that there is a solution."

When Paris Saint-Germain shows up, the scene changes. Rui Borges' words perfectly translate this reality: facing the European champion PSG is no longer just a match, but a test of stature. Sporting Portugal does not position itself as a victim, much less as a spectator. It positions itself as a galvanized opponent, aware of the gap but eager to challenge it.

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This dynamic has become a classic around Paris Saint-Germain: every team prepares with particular intensity, driven by the idea of measuring up to a continental benchmark. Respect is omnipresent, admiration sometimes, but above all, a heightened motivation. PSG, by its status, imposes maximum demand on those who cross its path. And it is precisely there that its new European weight lies: transforming each encounter into a trial of truth for the opponent, whether it is Sporting Portugal... or any other European giant.

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