Analyzing the Italian giants in greater depth, the Sporting coach said: “We know that we will be facing a strong side, with players born in 1992. We don’t have any 20 year old players and most of our lads are only 17 or 18. From what I have seen with the help of my technical team, it looks likes Inter relies on a well organised defence and breaking forward through long balls. They never look shaky at the back. It is a tricky team to face who will be strong in the physical aspect of the game. We have to show our quality and to play our own game, which means moving the ball around well. I am sure it will be a great game.”

“Obviously the objective is to reach the final”

Ricardo Sá Pinto noted that a win in Leiria on Wednesday is vital if the Lions are to reach the final phase of the NextGen Series: “This is the most important game that we have played in this competition up until now. Everyone is expecting to see a good exhibition of football and if the lads enjoy themselves out there and keep their heads then obviously we will be expecting a win.”

Sporting’s unstoppable form in the NextGen Series so far has inevitably been attracting attention and Sá Pinto hopes that his side’s run continues come the visit of Inter Milan: “What I want is for us not to lose the identity that we have shown until how. We have been playing some quality football and shown a real collective spirit. A win tomorrow is crucial, because it gives us passage to the stage of the competition that will have only the four best sides.”

In the opinion of the former Sporting skipper, the NextGen Series is an extremely important competition for a variety of factors: “This competition is good for the Club and it is good for the growth of the players. Sporting is a global brand when it comes to youth training and because of that we have a responsibility to keep getting good results. Proof of that is Liverpool coming in for João Carlos. Unfortunately he won’t be with us in the final stages of this competition and he is a player that was vital to how we organise. However, the move was important for the Club and for the player.”

Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30pm on Wednesday the 25th of January, in Leiria’s Estádio Magalhães Pessoa. Although the Lions will be playing outside of their native Lisbon, Sá Pinto is expecting the local Sporting faithful to turn out in force: “The ‘home’ factor depends on a lot of things, but it is a culture that I would love to see continue within our Club. It would be great to see our home support carry on improving, both for the senior team and the youth teams. An intense environment is a great help for the lads and it gives that extra bit of motivation. I am saying that through my own personal experience, because I have represented this Club for many years and I know that the fans always bring that little extra something out of us. I hope that the fans come out in force in Leiria as well and that we can make this a great party for youth football. I want my players to have a good time on the pitch and for them to make the most of this stage of their careers.”

However, Sá Pinto did admit that he would rather have seen the game played in Estádio José Alvalade, which is being prevented due to the state of the Stadium’s pitch: “We can’t put at risk the pitch in Alvalade, especially when the professional team is going through such an important phase.”

Text: Andreia Alexandre