Sporting coach Rui Borges said this Monday that the ambition of reaching the final of fatigue has to prevail, despite recognizing FC Porto’s greater physical freshness.
“More than physical fatigue, our ambition must prevail, which represents the game itself, which can put us in the final of a competition. Therefore, this ambition must prevail over everything else”, warned the coach ‘leonino’, in Alcochete, in anticipation of the semi-finals match.
“Lions” and “dragons” are found in Tuesday at 7:45 pm, in a game broadcast live on SICfour days after the “blue and whites” played just 15 minutes in their visit to Nacional, in a First League match, interrupted due to fog, and Sporting played an “intense” 90 minutes, against Vitória de Guimarães, in a duel that ended in a 4-4 draw.
Therefore, Borges acknowledged that “FC Porto does not have that overload, in quotation marks”, and that this “could bring some different things” to the League Cup match, but insisted, more than once, that “the ambition has to prevail over everything else” and highlighted that players “are motivated by what the game represents”.
“It represents a final of a competition, they want to win, they want to add trophies to their individual and collective career, to give trophies to Sporting’s greatness”, he assured.
The coach has already faced FC Porto this season, when he was playing for Vitória de Guimarães, the opponent against which he suffered his biggest defeat (3-0), but he devalued them, remembering that he now coaches “another team, different players” and who prefers to focus on what she “might be able to do” against a rival who is “in a very positive phase”.
“I believe that the team is prepared for what it may encounter. Now, FC Porto will also encounter a team that is very motivated and wants to reach the final. And within who we are, we will be strong in our own way. Of course it is within the strategy [do Sporting] understand one or another of FC Porto’s behavior so we can try to overcome them, but, above all, I believe it will be a good game”, analyzed Rui Borges.
Important return at the rear
For the semifinal duel, defender Gonçalo Inácio “could now be an option”, although he still needs “some time to acquire physical availability for 90 minutes”, revealed the coach, while Marcus Edwards “is in doubt” due to the flu .
Regarding the goal, asked if he would keep Franco Israel in the starting lineup or promote a rotation and give a chance to Kovacevic, or even Diego Callai, he only said that “the three are options”.
“When it comes to goalkeeping, trust in all three. I’ve done both, I’ve run, I haven’t run… It’s a matter of understanding the moment”, he said.
Live game on SIC
Sporting faces FC Porto on Tuesday, in the semi-finals of the Football League Cup starting at 7:45 pm, at the Magalhães Pessoa Stadium, in Leiria, with refereeing by António Nobre (AF Leiria).
The team coached by Rui Borges guaranteed their presence in the ‘final four’ of the competition, still under the command of Ruben Amorim, after beating Nacional, 3-1, in October, in the quarter-finals, a phase in which the ‘dragons’ eliminated the Moreirense, winning 2-0.
After the 4-4 draw against Vitória de Guimarães, on Friday, the ‘lions’ lead the I Liga, with 41 points, one more than FC Porto, who saw, on the same day, their meeting at Nacional’s ground was interrupted after 15 minutes.
The two clubs face each other for the third time this season: at the beginning of August, FC Porto, coached by Vítor Bruno, won 4-3 (after extra time) in the Super Cup, while, at the end of the same month, the Sporting won 2-0 at home, counting for the championship.
