Rui Borges sure of one thing, doubts remain for Paços v Sporting | OneFootball

Ousmane Diomande is expected to start for Sporting in the match this Saturday, October 18, against Paços de Ferreira, part of the third round of the Portuguese Cup. The national press has put forward the probable line-ups for the Lions for the trip to the furniture capital, with the Ivorian being the main highlight.

Both Record and A Bola point to the return of Sporting’s centre-back, with João Virginia’s selection in goal, and Eduardo Quaresma and Ivan Fresneda also being consensual choices. At left-back, the absence of Maxi Araújo from the green-and-white squad points to Ricardo Mangas starting, though the situation is still open.

Sporting’s midfield also seems set — Hidemasa Morita, who did not join up with his national team, should line up alongside João Simões, a starter this season with Napoli. Rui Borges is expected to manage Morten Hjulmand and Kochorashvili, who were subjected to greater workload during the international break.

In attack, only two names appear assured of a place in Rui Borges’ XI: Pedro Gonçalves and Fotis Ioannidis. The Portugal international did not play any minutes for the national team, and the Greek forward has another chance to start for Sporting.

Alisson Santos, who has been gaining an increasingly important role for Rui Borges, should also be in the starting lineup. The remaining spot in Sporting’s XI should be contested between Geny Catamo and Francisco Trincão — the winger also played few minutes with the national team, but may warrant rotation, with the midweek Champions League match being an important part of the equation.

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