The coach looks at the game against Eintracht Frankfurt

Sporting Clube de Portugal play their sixth and final game of the Champions League group stage against Eintracht Frankfurt this Tuesday, needing only a point to advance in the competition. However, in his pre-match press conference, coach Rúben Amorim explained that he wants more than a draw.

“We haven't even talked about a draw. We have to win and be aware of the moment we are in, in which any ball that goes near our goal goes in. It's about scoring and not suffering. It's true that we can depend on two results, and in the end we can adapt accordingly, but at the beginning of the game it would be a mistake to think about just taking a point,” he began by saying.

“There is no advantage for us, and we know that needing just a point will not have an impact. Eintracht have changed their formation since the last game against us, and went back to what they did mostly last year - waiting more for the opposition - and they've done well with that return to their roots. In Germany they put a lot of pressure on us, but we had the ball and we were able to take advantage of that space in the second half. It's a completely different team, and they are scoring a lot of goals in the German league. At the beginning of the game the requirements won't have any influence, but at the end we'll see if we have to adapt or not."

"I'm confident of a good result and trust the team a lot. I don't think there is a lack of confidence in our team . What we lack is conviction, not the technical side. The year we were champions, you felt something was going to happen, and now it's the other way around and it's hard to explain that to the players. Everything changes and we have everything needed to win," he explained.

“I think this year the opponents are actually having more difficulties in stopping us because we have created more opportunities, but we have not been able to score. It's easier for us to create, and we control our opponents' attacks better, but from one distraction or another we concede goals," Amorim lamented.

"The ability to react to bad times is lacking and that wears out the team. We have to seek strength, as that's football. There are good things in bad times, and we learn in bad times, but there is not much to take away from all this. I'm not much of an advocate of us having to suffer a lot to grow. The good thing about this is that we've already been like this and we were able to turn it around."

The Sporting CP coach gives his thoughts before the meeting with Tottenham Hotspur FC

Sporting Clube de Portugal face Tottenham Hotspur FC in London on Matchday 5 of Group D of the UEFA Champions League this Wednesday.

On the eve of the contest, coach Rúben Amorim stated that the team have to win the game, recalling the first duel between the two teams which ended with a 2-0 victory in Alvalade.

"The two teams had a lot of respect for each other in the first game and they already know each other better, despite Tottenham Hotspur having changed their formation due to injuries up front. We will have to see how we deal with them, with three midfielders and three forwards. The big difference is that tomorrow's result is more decisive," he began by saying in the pre-match press conference.

Regarding his squad, Amorim stated that "Sebastián Coates will be able to play from the beginning. Jeremiah St. Juste will be on the bench, but as always we will pay special attention to him in terms of playing time, because he didn't have a preseason. We have to keep him healthy at least until the World Cup, so he can have his preseason then."

Asked if Paulinho, who scored in the first game against Spurs, could start the match, he responded that: “In our team there are no starters, but there is a group of players who usually start the game. Whether Pedro Gonçalves were available or not, Paulinho would always be an option to come in. He is growing after suffering an injury and we have to make a natural rotation. But I'm not going to reveal whether he's going to play or not."

There was also, inevitably, interest in English forward Marcus Edwards, who has history at Tottenham Hotspur.

"He is a player with a lot of talent. A former coach of his said that he had something Messi-like about him. He went to a good club in Portugal, he developed, he reached a big club, he is growing a lot and playing in the Champions League, and he is mature. The talent is there, but he can improve a lot. He is happy at our club and I wish him a very bright future," he concluded.

Two red cards harm the team in a 0-2 defeat

Sporting Clube de Portugal lost 0-2 to Olympique Marseille on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League group stage, and now find themselves level on six points with the French side in third place.

After Antonio Adán's sending off in the first game between the two teams a week prior, coach Rúben Amorim brought in Franco Israel to make his debut as goalkeeper for the side.

The contest was evenly matched to begin with, until Sporting CP suffered a tough setback 17 minutes in: Ricardo Esgaio received a second yellow card and was sent off in a penalty incident, with Guendouzi putting Marseille ahead from the spot.

With Sporting CP reduced to ten men, Hidemasa Morita was replaced by Fatawu Issahaku, who made his first appearance in the competition, in order to reorganise the team's structure. 

Marseille extended their lead to 0-2 through Alexis Sánchez in the 31st minute.

Amorim responded with changes, bringing in José Marsà and Sotiris Alexandropoulos and taking off Coates and Edwards, which allowed Sporting CP to have more of the ball. On the rare occasions when Marseille broke through, Franco Israel performed well with a pair of interventions.

In the restart after the interval, Trincão was withdrawn for Flávio Nazinho to come on. A more attacking Sporting CP emerged, and in the opening seconds, Matheus Reis broke into the area and saw a shot blocked by an opposition defender.

The opponents, however, took the reins again, as a result of their numerical advantage -extended when Pedro Gonçalves was sent off for a second bookable offence and Sporting CP faced a final half-hour with just nine players on the field.

The pace slowed down a lot and, despite Olympique Marseille having more possession, there were few chances bar off-target shots and a ball that hit the post. 

The game ended 0-2, with Marseille drawing level with Sporting CP in the table -and above them on head-to-head.

The fifth and penultimate matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage is scheduled for October 26th, with the team traveling to London to face Tottenham Hotspur FC. Before that, they will face Varzim SC this Sunday in the Taça de Portugal.

Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, Hidemasa Morita (Fatawu Issahaku, 22'), Manuel Ugarte, Nuno Santos (Pedro Porro, 59'), Francisco Trincão ( Flávio Nazinho, 45'), Marcus Edwards and Pedro Gonçalves.

A ten-men side lose 4-1 to Olympique Marseille

Sporting Clube de Portugal lost 4-1 to Olympique Marseille on Matchday 3 of Champions League Group D, playing with ten men for much of the game due to a sending off for Antonio Adán.

The match, which was played behind closed doors due to the UEFA ban imposed on the home team, started with a delay of 25 minutes, due to the Sporting CP bus having been delayed in traffic.

The starting lineup consisted of Antonio Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Jeremiah St. Juste, Matheus Reis, Ricardo Esgaio, Manuel Ugarte, Hidemasa Morita, Nuno Santos, Francisco Trincão, Marcus Edwards and Pedro Gonçalves.

Sporting CP started the match well and took the lead in the first minute with a goal from Trincão who, after receiving the ball from Marcus Edwards, worked his way down the right shot in a swooping effort to make it 0 -1.

Gonçalves had the opportunity to score a second, when the opposition made a save, and the reaction from Olympique Marseille was not long in coming.
The equaliser arrived in the 14th minute due to misfortune for Adán. The shot-stopper tried to recover a ball back, but Alexis Sánchez intercepted and scored.

The home team followed that up with a goal from Harit to take the score to 2-1.

Sporting CP tried to respond with the ball, while Olympique Marseille continued to press high. In the 23rd minute another setback occured: Adán attempted to take the ball away from Nuno Tavares in the air, but did so outside the area and was sent off for handball.

With his team reduced to ten men, coach Rúben Amorim took off Edwards for Franco Israel to come on as replacement goalkeeper. The home team then benefited from a corner, managing to make it 3-1 through Balerdi.

At halftime, Amorim made more changes, introducing Paulinho, Sotiris, José Marsà and Flávio Nazinho to replace Nuno Santos, Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Gonçalves and Jeremiah St. Just.

Sporting CP were organised, defending more solidly and also managing to build some moves near the opposition area. Sotiris, in the 51st minute, had a chance off a ball from Ricardo Esgaio, shooting wide from the edge of the area.

Sotiris shot again from the perimeter shortly afterwards, but this time the shot was blocked by the defence.

From there, no clear-cut opportunities followed, until Marseille took the score to 4-1 in the final five minutes.

Sporting CP suffered their first loss in the Champions League this term, after two consecutive victories, and will play Olympique Marseille again next Wednesday at Alvalade.