Coach Rui Borges highlighted this Wednesday, February 4th, that “in football, everything changes very quickly”, keeping open the possibilities of renewing the title in the Portuguese Cup and also achieving the third national football championship.
“Last season, we had eight points [de vantagem]we lost nine and then we were champions. In football, everything changes very quickly”said the coach, in Alcochete, during the press conference previewing the game against AVS.
Sporting hosts the Avesense team on Thursday, for the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, just four days before visiting, on February 9th, the championship leader, FC Porto, in a very important duel for the discussion of the national championship,
Rui Borges assured that he could count on team captain Morten Hjulmand for this Cup tie, having even announced his starting role in the match, after the Dane missed the reception against Nacional on Sunday.
“I’m not going to say more about Morten, I already said it at the end of the game [frente ao Nacional]it is said. I said he would play and he will play tomorrow, he will be a starter, he will respond to everything else. In relation to AVS, it is a different game, it will be different in relation to everything that happened in the championship game against us”said the Leonine coach.
The Sporting coach ruled out any type of controversy regarding the Danish midfielder after rumors that pointed to his possible departure before the end of the transfer market, which were not confirmed, ensuring that the footballer is fully focused on the ‘green and white’ emblem.
“There is no discussion at all. Hjulmand is a great captain, a great leader, a great example, he is someone the group looks up to, believes in and trusts and that is how he will continue to be. Tomorrow [quinta-feira] he will return to the game, he will be a starter, captain, everything is normal. Rui [Borges] You have a great captain”these.
Rui Borges also noted that he does not feel unsupported in moments like the one involving Hjulmand’s absence from the Liga reception against Nacional, last weekend, guaranteeing that he feels supported by the “confidence of the structure” to speak on behalf of himself and the squad.
“It’s not about showing your face. Rui [Borges] He’s here to show his face, but it’s the structure’s trust in Rui or the technical team, from day one. I’ve said it several times. This is the last time I respond today regarding Hjulmand. It’s a non-issue, as I explained.”finished
Regarding the squad for the reception to AVS, Rui Borges announced that Debast and Ioannidis, injured, will continue to be out, making room for the return of Nuno Santos, recovered from a serious injury and more than 400 days after his last appearance in the main team.
The Sporting coach was indifferent to the fact that the team was scoring goals in the final period of the matches, remembering that at other times of the season the ‘lions’ scored in the initial phase of their respective matches.
“In the initial phase, we were scoring a lot of goals in the first ten minutes, in the games in Alvalade. Now, we are scoring some in the final part of the game and last season we scored 24”finally recalled the technical manager of the ‘green and whites’.
Sporting hosts AVS on Thursday, in a quarter-final match of the Portuguese Cup, scheduled to start at 8:45 pm, at the José Alvalade Stadium, in Lisbon, and refereed by André Narciso, from the Setúbal association.
The team led by Rui Borges remains in second place in the championship and hosts the Avenses, led by João Henriques, who remain in 18th and last place and without winning since December 17th, the day they defeated Vitória de Guimarães (1-0) and secured access to the quarter-finals of the ‘queen race’.
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