Player ruled out of Sporting-Benfica and could miss Porto too | OneFootball

Rui Borges does not have much good news ahead of Sporting - Benfica. Aside from the problems with Fotis Ioannidis and the uncertainty surrounding Iván Fresneda, the green-and-white coach has another headache, which extends to the Clássico against Porto.

Luís Guilherme also remains unavailable. The 20-year-old Brazilian winger, signed in January as a major bet for the second half of the season, has still not returned to training with the group due to a sprain in his left ankle, suffered in March. Although he had been tipped to return at this stage, he is practically ruled out of the derby with Benfica and is unlikely to recover in time for the trip to the Dragão next week.

Without these two players, Rui Borges loses important options, especially in attack. Luis Suárez is expected to continue carrying the weight of the frontline in a demanding schedule, with careful management of his fitness likely. As the most direct alternative, there is Rafael Nel, a 21-year-old striker promoted from the B team, who has had limited minutes but could take on a bigger role at a decisive moment, as already happened against Bodø/Glimt and again versus Santa Clara.

The absences of Ioannidis and Luís Guilherme add to the headaches for the Sporting coach, who faces this stage with little margin for error and limited options. Even so, it will be with the available squad - the same one that faced Arsenal - that Sporting will try to respond in two matches that could define the season.

This season, Luís Guilherme — valued at €10 million — has made 17 official appearances: five in the Premier League (West Ham), eight in Liga Portugal Betclic, two in the Portuguese Cup, one in the Champions League and one in the League Cup. In the 832 minutes he has been on the pitch, the player has scored one goal.

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