Coach Rui Borges reinforced this Friday (April 10) that Sporting gives priority to the I Football League over the Champions League, expecting a very difficult trip to Estrela da Amadora’s stronghold, in the 29th round.
“We really want to be champions and that is our main objective. We know the greatness of the teams that are in the Champions League and the difficulty is even greater. We are not giving up the Champions League, but the main objective is the championship. The player’s mental demands can drop a little and we don’t want that to happen. The competition for which we work the most and in which we have the most games is the championship, so that is what we want to win”, he stressed.
The two-time national champions visit the ‘stars’ in the middle of their tie with Arsenal, in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, playing in London on Wednesday, after the 1-0 defeat this week, at the José Alvalade Stadium, in the first leg.
In a pre-game press conference at Reboleira, Rui Borges said that, despite FC Porto and Benfica’s mistakes in the final round, the difficulty is identical for all teams and Sporting needs mental and physical demands.
“We are well and confident, with the quality of play well above average, but we know that the difficulties are not just for Benfica and FC Porto, they are for us too. We have a difficult trip. Estrela da Amadora has very complicated games until the end of the season and really needs points. They will do their best to win these points, no matter who they are. If we are not mentally and physically demanding, we will have problems”, warned the Lisbon coach.
Estrela da Amadora is, according to Rui Borges, “the second or third team that plays the most long passes” in the championship, with the intention of exploiting the speed and technique of its attackers, a point to which Sporting needs to pay attention.
“They are very strong in quick attack, with technically advanced players in the last third. With the arrival of ‘mister’ João Nuno, they try to be a team with possession, with good dynamics, a very good idea in the offensive process, they want to have the ball and play. Athletically, they are very strong, with very tall players and the average height is also very high. We have to be aware of the difficulty of the game and we have to be committed. We want to win to continue the fight”, he stressed.
Rui Borges revealed that Geovany Quenda will be called up and João Simões is in doubt, still believing in the recoveries of Luís Guilherme and Ioannidis before the end of the season.
“More than looking at the yellows, it has a lot to do with the physical part and with the accumulation of many games. We are at a stage where we need to be very connected and with maximum energy. Sometimes, it is better to give the maximum in just 30 minutes, than not to give it in 60 or 70. We will certainly look at this, because these are highly demanding games, which will ask a lot of the player. Everyone has to be prepared to play, but it is a fact that we will have to look at this”, he observed.
Sporting, second placed, with 68 points, visits Estrela da Amadora, 13th, with 28, on Saturday, at 8:30 pm, at the José Gomes Stadium, in Amadora, in a meeting refereed by David Rafael Silva, from the Porto association, and, in case of victory, the lions will be two points behind leader FC Porto, who only play on Sunday.
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