Rui Borges keeps his whole squad intact for Sporting v Benfica | OneFootball

Rui Borges chose to rotate his defensive line for the away trip to Estrela da Amadora, downplaying the disciplinary risk while also taking into account the players’ physical condition at a demanding stage of the season. The Sporting manager decided to rest Gonçalo Inácio and Ousmane Diomande, thus ensuring both would be available for the derby against Benfica.

Gonçalo Inácio was left out “by choice”, while Diomande started on the bench and was only used in the closing moments of the match. The decision allows the coach to have his most-used centre-back pairing fresh for the clash with Arsenal in the Champions League, while also keeping them available for Sunday’s derby.

In addition, Georgios Vagiannidis, another player at risk of suspension, also avoided picking up a fifth yellow card. The full-back, introduced at half-time, remained eligible and will be another valid option for Rui Borges in the match against the Eagles.

With this win – their 34th in 47 matches this season – Rui Borges’ side now have 71 points and remain second in the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto (73) are in first place, while Benfica are third with 66.

The green-and-white side return to action next Wednesday, 15 April, against Arsenal. The match, the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Mikel Arteta’s team, will be played at the Emirates Stadium at 20:00.

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