Bednarek, Borja Sainz and De Jong set for Sintrense clash | OneFootball

FC Porto’s squad resumes training this afternoon at the Jorge Costa Training and Sports Development Center, in Olival, beginning preparations for the match against Sintrense, scheduled for Saturday at Estádio do Dragão, in the 4th round of the Portuguese Cup.

After the victory over Famalicão last Sunday, Francesco Farioli granted the team five days off, although four players continued to report daily to the blue and whites’ headquarters. Bednarek, Nehuén Pérez, Borja Sainz, and Luuk de Jong are listed in the medical report and, to speed up their recovery, have been training in recent days under the guidance of the medical department.

Each case is different and, regarding the Polish center-back and the Spanish winger—both excused from their respective national teams (Borja by the Basque Country)—the outlook is favorable. The injuries do not appear to be serious: Bednarek suffered a strain in the ligament of his left knee and Sainz a contusion in his right ankle, so it is possible that both will be fit to face Sintrense. Even so, Farioli may prefer not to take risks, considering that both are among the ‘top 5’ most used players.

Nehuén Pérez, however, will be out for an extended period—he ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg and faces several months of recovery. Luuk de Jong, on the other hand, is nearing his return: the Dutch striker has entered the final phase of recovery from the left knee injury he suffered at the beginning of September, and although it is too soon to consider him for the Portuguese Cup, all indications are that he could return against Nice, on the 27th, or at the latest, against Estoril on the 30th.

Before the match with Famalicão, Farioli spoke about the situation of the 35-year-old striker. “We are eager for him to be fit. Luuk and the medical staff are doing a fantastic job. He has already started training on the pitch, doing some sessions with the ball. The reaction is positive, although he still has to deal with some pain. We hope that after the international break he will return to training with the team,” said the FC Porto coach. Everything depends, however, on De Jong’s response in the coming days; this positive progress could even bring forward the return of number 26 to full training.

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