Sporting’s coach, Rui Borges, said that the I League football classic against FC Porto “is not decisive” for the title, but admitted that he only thinks about winning it. “Of course it’s an important game and we are aware of the difference in terms of time, depending on what the result will be, but I don’t think it’s a game that will dictate who will be champion”said the coach, at a press conference, in Alcochete this Sunday, February 8th.
O FC Porto leads the I Liga, with 55 points, four more than Sporting. The team suffered its first defeat in the previous round, against Casa Pia (2-1). This result allowed the ‘lions’ to reduce the difference on the eve of their trip to Estádio do Dragão.
If they win on their visit to the leader, Sporting will reduce the difference to one point, but if they lose, they will be seven points behind their rival again with 13 rounds left to play. Therefore, Borges was asked several times about the importance of Monday’s clash, but he maintained the focus throughout the conversation with journalists, which began after 1 pm, more than half an hour later than expected.
“I don’t think it will be a decisive game. It is a very important game, given the moment of the season, everything it could mean in specific terms for us, depending on the result, but not decisive”, insisted. However, when asked if he would ‘buy’ a draw that would keep the two-time national champions four points behind their rival, he was adamant: “At this club we only think about winning and that will always be the case, regardless of the opponent.”
In the chapter on mind games, refused to comment on Benfica coach José Mourinho’s arrival on the scene, who admitted, on Saturday, his preference for a defeat by FC Porto that would allow the ‘reds’ to reduce the distance to first place to six points. But he returned the pressure to the opponent’s camp when asked about the words of the president of the ‘blue and whites’, André Villas-Boas, who stated, on Friday, that Sporting is “in a stronger moment”.
“The one who is better is FC Porto, because they are the ones ahead in the championship, taking a point difference to second place. They are the two best teams at the moment, with FC Porto having the best moment, because they have achieved and demonstrated this”he responded. Sporting visits FC Porto on Monday, in the match that closes the 21st round of the I League, scheduled to start at 8:45 pm, at Estádio do Dragão, in Porto, and refereed by Luís Godinho (AF Évora).
The ‘lions’ have won six consecutive victories in different competitions, the last five of which were ‘out of hours’: against Paris Saint-Germain (2-1), Arouca (2-1), Athletic Bilbao (3-2) and Nacional (2-1) they won thanks to goals scored in added time, while against AVS (3-2), in the Portuguese Cup, it was worth a goal from Geny Catamo in extra time.
Already FC Porto, with the defeat suffered in the previous round, interrupted a series of 11 consecutive victories in the championship. The team had only lost points in the eighth round, when they drew at home with Benfica (0-0), now the only undefeated team in the competition.
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