New deal, rival praise and bad translation: Rui Borges on Sporting-Benfica | OneFootball

Sporting return home this Sunday, April 19, at 6:00 pm, to face Benfica in Matchday 30 of the league. On the eve of the game, Rui Borges previewed the match at a press conference at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy and addressed several topics, including his imminent contract renewal and doubts for the match. Read everything he said.

What has changed at Benfica

"I don’t make comparisons, they are different moments, different teams, everything is different. It’s the same opponent, but I don’t make many comparisons. I believe it will be a strong Benfica, also because they need to win, whatever the objective may be, whether to become champions or finish second. I believe it will be a strong Benfica, in line with what they have been. Benfica have had a good campaign, with good dynamics. They are a very intense team, the team that wins back the most balls in high areas, which shows their recovery ability. They are a team that wins a lot of duels, very intense and competitive, with movement down the flanks, a lot of crosses... I think they are the team with the most headed goals in the league, and not only from set pieces. All of that defines Benfica’s quality. A difficult game awaits us, as you would expect in a derby between two good teams. Above all, may it be a good game"

Hangover from the defeat to Arsenal

"There is always some, but we are not going to cling to that, obviously. The importance of the game keeps growing, because time is running out and every match becomes increasingly important, not only Benfica but also the ones to come. It is an important game for our objective. Of course it is a great opponent, a team fighting for that objective. We will certainly have more difficulties, but we really want to win and we are very focused on that. We know that, at certain moments, we will not be able to be the Sporting we like to be, we have to be aware of that, but I believe in a strong Sporting, with enormous ambition and courage to win, together with the strength of our fans, which will be hugely important, even to stop any supposed tiredness from getting into the players’ heads. It will not serve as an excuse. The team is motivated, wants to win, and is focused on the objective, on what we have to do. We have to win, we really want to win, and we are going to do a lot for that"

"I expect a good game. He is a great referee, who will be at the World Cup, which shows his quality. I hope that he, just like the other two teams, is up to the level of a derby"

Hjulmand’s words

"It’s a non-issue. He spoke in English, everyone in England understood what he meant, except in Portugal. We have to try to translate better at certain moments. He was referring only and exclusively to Arsenal, and rightly so"

Sporting let opponents come back

"Our objective is to win, we really want to win and that is our only thought, also because of the fight for our objectives. We are aware that we are not first, we are second, so we need the three points. We really want to stay in this title race until the end. I think it is possible. We have to be much calmer and understand how we drew those games, rather than how we changed. Against Braga, we conceded two penalty goals in the 90+2 or 90+3 minute. There are things we cannot control, they are things of the moment, it is football itself. We play against good teams, we are exposed to that. It does not take away from this group’s ability to have a great season. We are having a great season, but whoever is in front is doing better. Credit has to be given to whoever is ahead. Now, whoever is in front has to understand that whoever is behind really wants to get ahead, and will do everything to get there. It is another big game, at our home, between two great teams. The fans will be important for us to get the win. We keep following our path"

Belief in a third straight title

"They believe strongly, and they have shown that in every game. We are not always going to win 3-0, 3-1, 4-1, 4-0... We are going to win some games 1-0, but winning is better than not winning. The team showed enormous character in Amadora. We managed a difficult win, which gives even more value to our work and our ambition to stay in the title fight. Arsenal also has to motivate us. Everything we were capable of against one of Europe’s great teams has to motivate us to be at the same level in the league, in the cup, or whatever it may be. It has to give us that demand. If we can be at this level in Europe, we have to be at this level in the league, and we have been. Now, of course there are games in which we will not have the same freshness and intensity. In the final stretch, everything weighs heavily. Sometimes we will make more mistakes, that is part of it. As long as the energy and ambition are there, everything is fine, and things are much more likely to go well"

Injury update

"Iván [Fresneda] and [João] Simões are doubts for tomorrow’s game (...). Nuno [Santos] is still out, and Fotis [Ioannidis] and Luís [Guilherme] as well. They are still not available. I don’t know if they will be for the next game, but they are back on the pitch, which is good"

Contract renewal

"I don’t focus much on that, because honestly... First, I don’t need votes of confidence. Then, it’s not a contract that keeps me motivated, but the day to day at the Academy. Since the first day, the confidence and the energy you feel there matter a lot and define our work, the people... I’m super calm in that regard. Things will happen when they are meant to happen. There is no stress at all, it does not motivate me... I’m really not focused on it, seriously. It kind of passes me by. There are people dealing with that, or not, so I’m really not focused on that aspect, because I feel the confidence of the whole structure, from the first day I arrived at Sporting. That confidence is what satisfies me and makes me proud, especially because I have a contract until 2027"

Approach to the derby

"Today, I read that Rui Borges had a team sitting deep, and yet it has the best attack, it would if not for... It’s curious. I believe that whoever plays against Sporting takes into account that we have the best attack. We have been strong, and I hope the team is at that level tomorrow, because that is something that defines us, that clearly shows the quality of our team, never forgetting that we are going to play against a good team, very dynamic, intense, competitive, with lots of crosses... Defensively, we have to have the same desire and intensity to protect our goal, so that we can continue to be among the best defenses as well. We are not the best, we are among the best, but we want to be better and better. It is a sign that we are a very balanced team. More than looking only at the attack, I look at every moment of the game, and that leads me to understand that we have been doing a good job. We can always be better, in every phase of the game. Overall, we are a very balanced team, and that is what matters, because it applies going forward and going back"

Hjulmand and Mourinho

"I want to believe it does not affect anything. We have the right to say what we want, so... Above all, he is a great referee who will be on the pitch. Being at the World Cup gives him that recognition. Above all, I hope he is up to the level of the game, just like the other two teams. More than talking about influencing... There is no influencing, it is about enjoying the game and, above all, making it a good spectacle"

Stopping Aursnes

He is a good player, just like the one on the other side has. We have to be ourselves. We are not changing anything about our game idea. In one or two aspects of our behavior, we will think more collectively than individually, in order to neutralize a strong Benfica. But I do not focus on the individual side of each opposing player, I focus on the collective. More than the opponent, it is always our idea and our ability to understand the game in our own way. Of course, within the opponent there will be one nuance or another, but nothing that changes our principles.

Focus of the game and objectives

"For now, I’m not thinking about that, I’m thinking about winning. I don’t look at the game that way. It becomes harder, obviously, but it is possible mathematically"

"It won’t affect anything. I believe they will be two teams wanting to win. They are focused on their objectives. We are focused on that too. We do not depend only on ourselves, but we have to do our part so that it does not become even more difficult. We are focused on our path and on what we have to do. We have to do everything to win, to stay in that fight, even if we do not depend only on ourselves, but also to put pressure on whoever is ahead. We are very focused on that. I don’t think it decides anything. Mathematically, it decides absolutely nothing. Now, it makes things difficult, whatever the objective may be, for either team"

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