Rui Borges on Porto row, Suárez, injuries before Braga v Sporting | OneFootball

Rui Borges discussed the match between Braga and Sporting in a press conference. The coach stated that it will be a “very difficult game,” highlighting the fact that “two teams that like to have the ball” will face each other, and therefore, “it will be a good challenge for both.”

Analysis of the opponent

“Braga does not change its game plan, regardless of the players on the field. They want and like to have the ball, they are the team with the most possession in the Championship, alongside Sporting, and that clearly shows their game. They are also very strong in reacting to losing the ball in the final third. More than any player, the idea is always there; the characteristics change depending on who plays. They are an offensive team that will create many difficulties for us, as they did in Alvalade. They took away some of our pressing ‘triggers’ due to their positional variability and are a team with many goals. In the last ten, they scored as many as Sporting. At home, they have conceded nine goals, which identifies their defensive role. They have many penalties, which indicates they push the opponent into their area. They are a strong team, and the last home defeat in the Championship was in September. These are the challenges that await us tomorrow.”

Renewal of Francisco Trincão and the contract situation of Hidemasa Morita, who reached 150 games at the Club

“I focus a lot on the present. I am happy for Francisco, a player who has been growing, becoming more mature, and having enormous importance in Sporting’s achievements and dynamics. Since I arrived, he has been one of the players who impressed me the most, if not the most, because he gives everything for the team, beyond his technical quality and intelligence. He is always ‘connected,’ plays various positions, makes Sporting much stronger, and therefore, I am happy for him and for us, Sporting, also, for being able to continue counting on him for more years. As for Morita, it has a lot to do with the structure and the player's will. He is a player we like very much, he is in a good moment, and in the present, he is an important player for Sporting.”

Changes in the attack to face Braga’s characteristics?

“Like Braga, we also do not change our game plan. We can change some players, that is natural, to have different things in offensive or defensive terms. Compared to the classic, they are different teams and game ideas. In strategic terms, we can look differently, but never deviating from our game plan. We look at the whole. We will face a good team, well worked, but we also believe we will create difficulties for Braga.”

Braga fresher for not having played midweek?

“I don’t know, it’s subjective. They had more days of rest, they may have more energy, but on our part, that will not serve as an excuse for what will be the intensity of the game. Braga had more days to prepare for the game, their players are fresher, but our ambition and desire to win are such that this will never be an excuse.”

No comments on Luis Suárez’s gesture in the classic and the subsequent statements of the two presidents

“I have already said what I had to say about that game and I will not comment on the president’s speech. He is the highest authority of the Club. I am focused solely on a difficult game we have on our path.”

Especially important round to gain points on rivals?

“No. If Sporting wins, it does its part, which is important. We want to have a better second half of the season than the first, which was good but not enough. To have an extraordinary second half, we have to win tomorrow. We have to do our part and then understand the consequence. If we don’t do our part, the other classic result doesn’t matter.”

Zeno Debast may return to options

“He may enter the squad, he could have entered for Porto, but by choice, he did not, because he was not in his best physical condition.”

Status of Fotis Ioannidis

“For now, he is out of tomorrow’s game.”

Luis Suárez more burdened?

“Without Fotis, it ends up sacrificing Luis a bit more, but fortunately, we have managed to balance that effort. He is not a player prone to injuries, he has been doing very well and is a ‘beast.’ In that sense, we are very calm. We would love to have Fotis because he would be very important at this stage, even to have that balance in wear, but it is what it is. I will not complain.”

Busy March forces prioritizing competitions?

“I don’t look at it that way, I think the team is doing well. Now we will have three or four more consecutive games, but playing on the fourth day, I think we can have the team truly capable of responding. Everyone is prepared to play, and that has a lot to do with the team’s moment and the season, besides the strategic part of each game. I think the issue of the days themselves will not change our thinking. We really want to win tomorrow’s game and we really want to win at Bodø/Glimt’s home, because we want to continue to make Sporting’s history in the UEFA Champions League.”

Did you consider it disrespectful for the Porto president to choose to speak to journalists at the same time as your post-game press conference?

“I will downplay that, I am not worried about what happens on the other sides, only with me and my team. I have had so many disrespectful moments since I have been at Sporting, so I don’t value it, very honestly.”

Game with Braga as an opportunity to gain ground on rivals

“If we want to have an extraordinary second half, and that is our thinking, it involves winning tomorrow’s game. The rest will be a consequence. We have to do our part. I am focused on what we want. Our ambition is to be first, and for that, we have to do better than in the first half. Is it difficult? Yes, but we really want it. What we control are our games. No matter what, we have to work hard, knowing we will have a very difficult game, regardless of the rivals playing against each other.”

Lessons learned from the clash with Braga in the first half

“In the second half, Braga was better in possession, they didn’t create much danger for us, but they ended up tying the game with an individual play, in the area, a pull and penalty. Above all, they are two teams that like to have the ball, and it will be a good challenge for both. We have to understand what the opponent is good at and be very balanced, both when we press and when we can’t. There is also merit from the opponent, but mentally we have to be able to understand all moments of the game. In Alvalade, we lost discernment when we were without the ball because Braga ‘pulls’ many midfielders, Pau Victor, who moves like a ‘ten’ and takes references from the defensive line. It left us uncomfortable, but tomorrow we cannot lose that balance, organization, and defensive rigor.”

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