Diomande or Debast? Rui Borges picks Sporting starter v Porto | OneFootball

Rui Borges’ dilemma between Ousmane Diomande and Zeno Debast has been resolved for the Sporting - Porto classic

Ousmane Diomande remains injured and is expected to miss the classic between Sporting and Porto next Saturday. The Ivory Coast international defender has been struggling with physical problems since the first matchday, which forced him to leave the game against Casa Pia.

With the Lions’ number 26 still under the care of the Performance Unit at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy, Zeno Debast is set to start at full speed against Francesco Farioli’s side, forming a central defensive partnership with Gonçalo Inácio.

The possibility of Ousmane Diomande returning for the classic against Porto was once on the table. The medical department went into a race against time to recover the 21-year-old center-back and even received help from the Ivory Coast national team, as the defender was not included among the 23 players called up by coach Emerse Faé for the upcoming international fixtures.

It’s worth noting that the Lions’ number 26 is just one of five players Rui Borges cannot count on to face the Blues next Saturday, August 30. In addition to the center-back, Daniel Bragança, Nuno Santos, Maxi Araújo, and Hidemasa Morita are also unavailable due to physical issues.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Ousmane Diomande – valued at 45 million euros – has played in two matches. The Ivory Coast international center-back started in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, playing 68 minutes against Benfica; and also against Casa Pia, being on the pitch for 58 minutes before getting injured.

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