The coach previews the Monday night Liga Portugal fixture

Ahead of Sporting Clube de Portugal's Monday Liga Portugal match at home to GD Estoril Praia, coach Rúben Amorim, spoke to the media in a pre-match press conference.

The opposition are 15th in the table, and are on a run of two consecutive defeats that resulted in the dismissal of coach Nélson Veríssimo. Nevertheless, Amorim warned of the quality of the GD Estoril side.

“They're not going through a good moment, but there are players with a lot of talent and very crafty. In these games, freed from responsibility and with Sporting CP being favourites to win, they are sure to pose a lot of problems for our team," said the coach.

"We looked a lot at what they did against us in the first meeting this season, because they shouldn't change that much, and we also looked at the games played by their Under-23s  team to see the nuances of the new coach.“

"We won't have Ugarte, who is suspended but already needed to rest anyway, but we're going to field a strong team. We anticipate a difficult game; it's our third this week, but above all we're going to be more confident. I prefer it that way. We have won twice in a row, but we want more and that's what we're going to try to do. Our preparation was the same, but the fact that we come into this one off victories and that we got into the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League gives us extra confidence for this game."

Asked about the draw for the Last 16 of the European competition, which will pit Sporting CP against English Premier League leaders Arsenal, Amorim declined to comment, saying “Our focus is on GD Estoril Praia. I don't want anyone to think about it, it doesn't interest us now. The big objective is to reach that game with two more victories."

With Manuel Ugarte, one of the most used players this season, unavailable, there are several options to replace him.

“There are solutions and we cannot lose balance. You can't be dependent on any one player, although we know his importance. Dário [Essugo] didn't disappear, he's injured and that's why he hasn't been in the callups. It could be Mateo [Tanlogo], who doesn't have much experience yet, but is an intelligent player, who comes in. We could put another player there like Morita, who has other characteristics and gives us another quality in the buildup."

Amorim underlined that youngster Mateus Fernandes, used in the Europa League playoff in Denmark, could also be an option to take into account on Monday.

“Whether he's with us or in the B team has more to do with the fact that one player or another is missing. It's about doing the maths with the midfielders. If he is not with us, then he has to play for the B team to get minutes. The young players move up and down between the two teams. Our commitment is not a question of, from now on, him always having to play. Mateus is a possibility to play in this game, we'll see."

"The important thing is to remember that Dário was already in the starting lineup at 17 years old, Mateus at 18 and Youssef [Chermiti] has played three games in the starting lineup too. For me, they are options and whoever has to play will play."

Amorim has received praise as of late from Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, who revealed that he considers Amorim as “one of the best coaches around today." The Sporting CP boss accepted the compliments with modesty.

"It's always good to hear that, but I want to focus on the reality now. My reality means that last week white handkerchiefs were waved by the fans. I have no illusions about things; the results dictate everything. I don't want to open doors to England. I've already had some contacts from there, but I'm very happy here, I'm not looking for anything else and what I want is not to disappoint the supporters of my club," he stated.