Rui Borges said this Friday, March 6, that if Sporting wins this Saturday (6pm) in Braga “it will do what it has to do” to achieve a goal that it defined and that it reinforced again: “We have to make an extraordinary second round and to do that we have to win this game.”
In this sense, it devalued the possibility of gaining points from one or two rivals, since on Sunday there is a Benfica-FC Porto match. “We have to do our part and then understand the consequences of winning. If we don’t do our part, the results of others won’t matter at all”highlighted the Sporting coach, admitting that Sporting’s first round “was good”, but the Dragons had “an extraordinary first round”. “Our ambition is to be in first place and for that we have to do better. Is it difficult? Yes, but we really want to and that involves the Braga game”, he highlighted, remembering that “no matter what”, his team has to “work hard”.
Rui Borges recalled that face to face will be “the two with the most possession of the ball in the championship”highlighting that Braga’s fans are “very strong in reacting to losing the ball” and have well-defined ideas, which include “looking for the goal” and being “offensive”.
In this sense, he is convinced that this Saturday’s opponent will “create a lot of difficulties” for Sporting, “as he did in Alvalade” in the first round match of the I League: “In that game, they took away some timings of pressure because of the variability of the entire team.”
And Rui Borges’ praise for Sp. Braga continued: “It’s a team that has a lot of goals and has one of the best attacks in the championship. In the last 10 games they scored as many goals as Sporting and at home they have only conceded nine goals. It’s a team that pushes the opponent into its area.” The Leonine coach also recalled that the last defeat of Carlos Vicens’ team in the championship “was in September”, which “identifies well Sp. Braga and the difficulties that await Sporting”.
Asked if the Braga fans could be fresher, as the lions played FC Porto in the Portuguese Cup on Tuesday (1-0), Rui Borges said that this analysis is “very subjective”. “Of course they have more rest days and it is possible that they have higher energy, but on our part it will not be an excuse for the intensity of the game and what we will be able to do”he stressed, leaving one certainty: “Our ambition and desire to win are so great that this will never serve as an excuse.”
The Leonine coach was later “happy” that Francisco Trincão had renewed his contract with Sporting until 2030. “He has been growing, he is increasingly mature and has a huge importance in the team’s achievements and dynamics. Since I arrived, he said that He was one of the players who impressed me the most, if not the one who impressed me the most because, in addition to his technical quality, he gives a lot to the team. Therefore, it makes Sporting stronger.”
On the other hand, he admitted that he would also like to see Japanese Morita renew his contract with the club, which ends at the end of the season. “It depends on the player’s structure and desire. We like him a lot and I’ve already said that he’s a player that fascinates me”, he highlighted.
As for the options for the game with Sp. Braga, Rui Borges admitted that “Debast can join the squad” and that he only didn’t start against FC Porto because “he wouldn’t be in the best physical condition”. As for the Greek striker Ioannidis is certain that he is “out” of the game in Minho.
In this sense, the Colombian Luis Suárez will have to “sacrifice a little more” for not having a substitute in attack. “Fortunately we have been able to alleviate this effort and recover it. Fortunately it is not very prone to injuries, it is a moorish work, a animaland so we are very calm”he said, admitting however that it is necessary to trust in luck: “It’s just putting a candle in so he doesn’t hurt himself and knock on wood.”
“We would really like to have Ionnidis because it would be very important at this stage of the season, even to balance the wear and tear on Luis Suárez… When Luis is not there, someone will have to respond. Pedro Gonçalves is well, training normally and will be able to play tomorrow“, he added.
The controversies in the classic, with the exchange of accusations between the presidents of Sporting and FC Porto were also addressed in the pre-game press conference with Sp. Braga, but Rui Borges chose to be “cold as the weather”. “I’ve already said what I had to say and I’m not going to comment further. The president is the club’s highest power. I’m just focused on a difficult game along the path we have set. It’s in the past.”
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