Rui Borges opts to leave fit player out for Paços de Ferreira v Sporting | OneFootball

Gonçalo Inácio is not expected to be used in the Paços de Ferreira - Sporting match, valid for the third round of the Portuguese Cup. Although the ‘number 25’ has already rejoined the Lions’ training sessions without any limitations, Rui Borges does not want to take any risks.

The defender started in the National Team’s first game during this international break, against Ireland, but ended up being substituted during the match. This change by Roberto Martínez was also due to a physical issue – a contusion, caused by a blow to his left calf.

This situation not only took Gonçalo Inácio out of the second half of the match against Ireland, but also sidelined him for the National Team’s second game, against Hungary. Roberto Martínez decided to release the center-back from Sporting, as he has other options and is aware of the physical strain the player has been under.

The decision to rest the player becomes even more important considering that Sporting will enter a grueling cycle after the international break, with seven matches in the span of 20 days. Therefore, the priority for the Portuguese Cup match will be to have the squad recovered and ready for the tough challenges ahead – the Champions League and the National Championship – with games across four different competitions.

Sporting will only return to the pitch on Saturday, October 18th, against Paços de Ferreira. The match, part of the third round of the Portuguese Cup, against the team led by Filipe Cândido, will be played at Estádio Capital do Móvel at 8:15 pm.

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