Rui Borges responds to fresh Sporting v Porto clash: I won't talk about... | OneFootball

Rui Borges does not consider Tuesday's Classic crucial. This assurance was given by the Lions' coach during the preview of the match against Porto, conducted by the green and white coach this Monday, March 2nd, at the Alcochete academy.

"It's just another match against a good team that is leading the championship. It's only the first half. It will be a good game, and we want to come out of the first leg with a victory, that's for sure. We will play at home and want to take an advantage from the 1st leg," he assured.

The Mirandela-born coach, when asked about a more tactical and cautious game against Porto, said it's important to be smart in approaching the match. "I'm not talking about fear, I think there's great respect between the two teams. We know there's always a strategic side, as is normal in big games. Now there are no longer things like passing the ball to the goalkeeper for him to catch. Sometimes we have to be smarter, and teams don't expose themselves, but I believe it will be a good game with two teams wanting to play, even with that strategic side," he stated.

"It's uncertain. It's been like this, and it continues to be. It's very much about the day-to-day, understanding how he feels... He's uncertain for tomorrow's game," the coach noted.

With the uncertainty of Ioannidis's presence, Sporting will take the field this Tuesday, March 3rd, against Porto. The match, counting for the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, against the team led by Francesco Farioli, will be played at 8:45 PM at the José Alvalade Stadium.

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