Cup, poor form and trust in Suárez: Rui Borges before Porto v Sporting | OneFootball

Sporting return to action this Wednesday, April 22, at 8:45 p.m., to face Porto in the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals. On the eve of the match, Rui Borges previewed the game at a press conference at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy and addressed several topics, including recent results and the team’s ambitions until the end of the season. Check out everything he said.

What to expect from both teams

"A very competitive game, a Porto side true to its identity. A team that is very intense in the first pressing phase, especially at home. It’s a two-legged tie, they are behind, and it is only natural that they will raise the intensity even more. It is a team that presses very well and drops into a block when it realizes it cannot. Very organized, competitive. It will not be very different from their usual image. Physically, they are a very strong team in closing down space, in pressing, and in duels on the ground and in the air. And that makes the game very competitive. A Porto side true to its identity, and a Sporting side as well. Above all, two teams that will really want to win and be in the final."

Contract renewal in question

"Fear? The only fear I have is death. I really like living, that is the only fear I have. I am focused on the game. I have already spoken about a renewal many times. I am happy, I have a contract until 2027. The trust is there every day and I am super calm about my future."

In the fight until the end

"I do not deal in 'ifs'. We are competing. There is still no champion in the league, and in the Cup we are fighting for a place in the final. And that is what we are focused on. I am not about 'ifs', I am about work. We know what our work has been. Everyone does. Not just the coaching staff or the players. The whole structure knows. We are in the fight for trophies, all of them. And that, above all, is the first objective of honoring a big club, to be in the fight for trophies until the very end. And we have done that very well."

Confidence in Suárez and penalties

"The penalty takers are clearly defined and that does not change. The Benfica game is in the past, now the focus is on Porto. There were three great teams on the pitch. Should it have been retaken? I am not going to get into that."

A big week

"It is a big-club week. It is a good thing that we lost the Champions League, it means people look at us as a big club. And that adds value to our work and to the club. It is very good to hear the question asked that way. The fact that we lost the Champions League means we could have won it... As for the rest, I have already answered. We are still in the running for everything, that is the first objective of a big club. The players have had a fabulous season. In the league, it is true that we have fallen further behind. But there is still no champion, so we must always believe. And there is a team in first place that has had a great season, better than ours unfortunately. We have to look ahead, to the week ahead, to the next game. It could secure our place in the Cup final and, further on, in the Super Cup. It is the possibility of being in contention for two trophies and the team is super motivated and calm in that regard. It knows what it has to do and what it means. As for whether we will be welcomed well or not, you have to ask the opponent. Porto have always been very well received at Alvalade and we expect to be received the same way as well."

Injury update

"João Simões already shared it yesterday, he is out until the end of the season. Iván is still doubtful, it depends a lot on day-to-day progress. He may miss the game. It is possible that he is still not available. Squad depth? I am not going to compare with others, I focus on ours. Of course I would like to have everyone available. Quenda at 100%, Luis Guilherme, Fotis [Ioannidis]. It would have allowed us to manage some workloads during these months, which have been surreal in terms of games and overload. We have not been able to manage things as well as we wanted, but that is part of it. We have to deal with the circumstances we are in. And with more or less difficulty, we have to give our best. And that is what the players have done. Tomorrow there will be another opportunity. Tired or not tired, we have to give everything on the pitch. Those are the circumstances of the game and I do not like to complain. Of course I would like to have everyone, it would be a completely different squad. But even within that... They have responded and shown that they are a fantastic group. Nuno Santos is out as well."

Losing games in stoppage time

"Of course it is [important]. More than physical fatigue, there is also mental fatigue. Obviously you feel it a lot in the moment. Of course the fans feel it. But not more than we do, we feel it deeply. But we have to stay balanced. Two or three months ago people were asking me about four games won in the 90th minute. Now I have lost two at 90'+4. We have to stay balanced and deal with that. Understand how it happened. The team gave everything, whether against Arsenal or now against Benfica. Those are the emotions of football. I am very calm in that sense and I try to pass that on to the players, to make them understand the importance of the next game. It is a match that can put us in two finals and we have to be very focused on that. A big club wants to be in the final fight until the end and tomorrow’s game gives us the possibility of being in not one but two finals. We really want that and I feel the players are calm and focused."

Injuries and Suárez

"As for the injured players [João Simões, Nuno Santos...] I already said they were out until the end of the season, yes. As for Luis, I am not worried. It is about making a clear-headed analysis of things, understanding the demands of the games we have had. And that often leads to not having many chances. It is difficult work, he is a player who has given everything for the team. He is one of those carrying an overload and his commitment has been surreal, everything he tries to do. He does lose some things and we feel that, obviously. But that does not make him any less important. He will have fewer chances in some games, but he has to stay focused. He has to take them. He is calm, he knows the confidence all of us have in him and everything he has given and will continue to give. It is not because of two or three shots in two or three games. It has a lot to do with the collective. And considering the opponent we are facing... He has given a lot, he has worked tremendously hard, he has sacrificed himself. He earned that recognition on merit."

Team management

"Look, a coach has to work through many scenarios. But there are many. That is why it is difficult to make decisions and why, as they say, the coach 'takes the heat'. That is what I tell my assistants. We have to think through many scenarios, but another one, and another one, and another one will always come up. It is about understanding how the players feel and having a lot of communication, always with great honesty, to understand who is in the best condition to contribute. Not thinking about extra time. We really want to go through in 90 minutes and that is our goal. I do not like creating too many scenarios, because the more we think, the more scenarios we add. And at this stage, given what our path has been, it is much more about dialogue and understanding how we are. And with a lot of honesty, feeling who is best to start and to finish the game. It is a decisive match because it can put us in two finals. We really want to play in the final."

Can the Portuguese Cup save the season?

"I do not look at things that way. Sporting have to compete for trophies until the final. And we have done that. And tomorrow we really want to compete in the Cup. At the end, we will analyze everything and understand whether the path was the right one, where we fell short... It is much more about that. But it is not about saving anything. It is about wanting to compete for a trophy, we want to have the chance to defend it again. That is very much the focus. The league is difficult and now we are focused on the Cup. It depends on us and that is what we are going to hold on to."

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