The Sporting CP coach talks to the media ahead of the game against Beşiktaş JK

Sporting Clube de Portugal welcome Turkish side Beşiktaş JK this Wednesday on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League group stage, and coach Rúben Amorim spoke ahead of the game in a pre-match press conference.

Speaking about the preparation for the contest, he explained that he had shown his team a video of the entire first meeting with this week's opposition.

"The players realised that for 15 minutes we had almost none of the ball, and Beşiktaş JK could have scored. The game suited our characteristics. We are good at defending and transitions. We told the players to look at the game itself, and not the result. There is no illusion. It will be a very difficult game, in which we will have to be better than we were in Turkey -especially with the ball."

Amorim then appealed for the presence and support of Sporting CP fans at the Estadio José Alvalade, recalling that the team were received in Istanbul amidst a hostile atmosphere.

"The team need their help, as we are inexperienced. There was an adverse atmosphere in Turkey, which spurred the opposition on at the beginning. We want to do the same to them. It is never too much to create a connection between the team and the fans. I expect a great atmosphere. It's the Champions League and we can fight to reach the knockout stage, so we need everyone with us," he stressed.

The coach also insisted that there was no favourite to win the game.

"The same way we won in Turkey, Beşiktaş JK can win here. We want to win. We played well in Turkey and we can play better. We know Beşiktaş JK well, and they know us too."

Sporting CP have been scoring several goals from set-pieces as of late, and Amorim congratulated his assistants Adélio Cândido, Carlos Fernandes and Emanuel Ferro for their contribution to that.

"The merit belongs to the coaching staff who specialise in dead balls. I want to emphasise the amount of chances that we have. We haven't scored many goals from open play and we've got them from set pieces. I'm happy because it emphasises the work of the people here, who have a lot of talent and are hard workers," he said.

After revealing that Tiago Tomás will be the only absentee through injury for Wednesday's match, Amorim expressed his belief in his side moving through to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League.

"I believe that, since we lost 1-5 to AFC Ajax, we have to win this game to continue in the fight for qualification. I believe we can go through to the next stage. We are winning, and when we win, everything helps. What I feel is that we all know where we want to go, which gives us stability. Stability depends on results, and what we have to do is win tomorrow's game to stay on the right path."

"It will be a very difficult game. They will have different players, like their strikers. It will be different and that's what we have told the players. It is a mistake to think that the game in Turkey was easy. We will have to suffer to win. We want to have more of the ball, more chances and try to avoid the many chances that Beşiktaş JK had," he concluded.

Sporting CP lose 1-0 in Champions League action

Sporting Clube de Portugal were beaten 1-0 by Borussia Dortmund on the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage. The team battled for a satisfying result throughout, but left Signal Iduna Park without any points to their name.

The Liga Portugal champions made two changes from the game against CS Marítimo, with Matheus Reis and Tiago Tomás part of the starting XI in place of Rúben Vinagre and Nuno Santos (both on the bench, as well as young talents João Goulart, José Marsà and Gonçalo Esteves).

The match began without any great scoring opportunities in the first few minutes. Borussia Dortmund had more of the ball, but Sporting CP performed well, especially defensively, and scared the opposition through a swerving cross from Pedro Porro.

In the 19th minute, Sebastián Coates made a mistake and the ball fell to Hazard, who set up Reus for a shot that Adán easily saved. At the other end, Zouhair Feddal found Paulinho and he tried to tee up Tiago Tomás with an overly heavy touch. Soon after, Paulinho regained possession and tried to finish, but missed the target.

After half an hour of play, Sporting CP came very close to getting the goal when, off a corner kick, Sebastián Coates shot acrobatically over the top. In defence, organised movement led to several offside calls against Borussia Dortmund.

Despite this, in the 37th minute Donyell Malen sent the ball into the net, opening the scoring and meaning that Sporting CP went into halftime losing 1-0.

The second half had less action, but was equally competitive for most of the 45 minutes. Tiago Tomás crossed and Paulinho, with his head, forced Kobel to intervene. In response, a Reus shot was easily saved by Adán.

Rúben Amorim made a first change in the 58th minute, putting Nuno Santos on in place of Tiago Tomás, but the chances of a goal did not abound for either team. One of the few was an attempt cut out by Coates, in the 65th minute, preventing the Germans from making it 2-0.

Jovane Cabral came on in the 74th minute (replacing Pablo Sarabia) and, in the 83rd minute, it was the turn of Ricardo Esgaio, Bruno Tabata and Daniel Bragança to replace, respectively, Pedro Porro, Matheus Reis and João Palhinha.

Before the end, Coates kept up the intensity with a header just wide, but Borussia Dortmund would hold on to deny Sporting CP the points.

Sporting CP will be back in action on Saturday, away to FC Arouca's in the Liga Portugal.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Luís Neto, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro (Ricardo Esgaio, 83'), João Palhinha (Daniel Bragança, 83'), Matheus Nunes, Matheus Reis (Bruno Tabata, 83'), Pablo Sarabia (Jovane Cabral, 74'), Tiago Tomás (Nuno Santos, 58') and Paulinho.

The coach previews the game against Borussia Dortmund

Looking ahead to the second match of the Champions League group stage against Borussia Dortmund, Rúben Amorim spoke in a pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.

“Youth also brings irreverence. Our debut in the competition has already passed. Dortmund have been very strong, especially at home, but our focus is on our team and what we can do and improve upon. We don't look at the difference in experience too much”, the coach began by saying, also insisting that he is not worried about who will play for the German team.

“Am I losing sleep over Haaland? I always sleep well. Football stuff doesn't give me sleepless nights, except for some bad performances and when the players don't give everything. The AFC Ajax result was such a blow that we just have to look at ourselves. I won't look at whether Haaland plays or not. We won't change based on BVB Dortmund's lineup, but of course if Haaland doesn't play then they will lose a player with a lot of influence in terms of goals."

Showing confidence in his team, Amorim addressed the contrasts between AFC Ajax and BVB Dortmund, saying that “the big difference” in these games “will be the adaptation of the Sporting CP team and the coach."

 “The big difference may lie in Sporting CP and not in the opposition: In the way we defend, how we prepare our movement and our pressure," he said, revealing what he spoke to the players about after the meeting with the Dutch champions.

"We pointed out the flaws, but we must remember the moment when it was 3-2, and for a little while that changed the course of the game; conceding first also changed the course of the game and our strategy. There are days when everything goes your way, and sometimes it's the other way around. It's important to start the game well, then stick to our strategy. We need to be focused, even when the ball is back with the goalkeeper."

“The will to win is the same. We really wanted to beat AFC Ajax and were really looking forward to the game. It was a very bad result, but there is no fear of anything. The players have to compete, play and search for a better feeling in the Champions League. Now we are more aware of the quality of the Champions League and we will strive to deserve a different result."

Sebastián Coates will be available, and Amorim emphasised that he “is very important for the team and for the coach,” but Pedro Gonçalves will once again miss out.
 “It's an old injury. We're taking our time over things and if it has to take longer, then so be it,” he explained.

Sporting CP B team centre backs João Goulart and José Marsà were present in the last training session before the match, and the coach says that they are there for experience in Europe.

“They are two other options, but it's more so that they gain experience. It's a signal to the B team. They have to go through this: Travel, preparation and training. It doesn't mean they'll come in tomorrow.”

Sporting CP lose 1-5 on the opening matchday in Europe

Sporting Clube de Portugal suffered a tough defeat to AFC Ajax in the opening game of the UEFA Champions League group stage, losing 1-5 at home to the Dutch side.

Fans flocked to the Estadio José Alvalade and filled the maximum capacity permitted by healthcare authorities for the game, which marked the team's return to the top European club competition. Sporting CP debuted their new third kit, and coach Rúben Amorim made just the one change to the lineup that began the game against FC Porto, with Gonçalo Inácio covering for the injured Sebastián Coates.

The start was a difficult one for the home side, who went behind after just two minutes: Antony took an initial shot, the ball swerved over Luís Neto, it hit Antonio Adán's post and fell for Haller, who only had to head it into the net. Shortly afterwards, Antony set up Haller in the heart of the area to make it 0-2.

From here, Sporting CP was forced to chase the result against a team who would resort to playing the ball around their own half, even with a high press employed by Os Leões.
The first Sporting CP chance was provided by Paulinho, who on 13 minutes went on a counterattack and then shot wide from the resulting corner.

Just 20 minutes in, another hard blow was suffered with Gonçalo Inácio going off injured, to be replaced by Ricardo Esgaio. This was followed by a shot by Gravenberch that Antonio Adán kept out, and a header by João Palhinha that went off target.

Finally, on 33 minutes, Sporting CP pulled a goal back, and it was Paulinho who scored it on his Champions League debut. Matheus Nunes found him with a great pass, and the striker did the rest.

Happiness for Sportinguistas was short-lived, however. A little more than five minutes before halftime, Ajax made it 1-3 through Berghuis. The score remained the same at the break, despite a header nodded just outside the post by Zouhair Feddal in stoppage time.

Amorim made moves for the second half, bringing on Matheus Reis and Pablo Sarabia to replace Rúben Vinagre and Jovane Cabral. Despite this, on 48 minutes more misfortune followed for Sporting CP: Paulinho headed into the back of the net for what would have been a magnificent goal, but it was disallowed for offside after a VAR check. Shortly after, Antony sent in another ball for Haller to take Ajax 1-4 ahead.

Pedro Porro then had two good chances, but on the first he hit the post and on the second it was goalkeeper Pasveer who kept the ball out.

The night concluded with another goal from Haller in the 63rd minute -his fourth of the game, as Sporting CP suffered a difficult start to their European campaign.

Os Leões return to the action this Sunday with a visit to GD Estoril Praia in the Liga Portugal.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GK], Gonçalo Inácio (Ricardo Esgaio, 20'), Luís Neto [C], Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Rúben Vinagre (Matheus Reis, 45'), Jovane Cabral ( Pablo Sarabia, 45'), Nuno Santos (Tiago Tomás, 60') and Paulinho (Daniel Bragança, 77').

The midfielder comments on the task ahead against AFC Ajax

At the press conference ahead of Sporting Clube de Portugal's game against AFC Ajax in the UEFA Champions League group stage, João Palhinha addressed the media.

"We analysed AFC Ajax, just like we analyse all the teams we face. They are a team who need no introduction. We see this as something new. Most of our players haven't played in this competition yet, but we are facing tomorrow's game with great motivation," he told reporters at the Auditorio Artur Agostinho.

"We are looking forward to the game starting and to hearing the UEFA Champions League anthem. I am sure that my teammates, the coach and all the staff feel the same. We are proud to be in this unique position," he added, also explaining that participating in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League "makes the players more experienced."

Asked if the duel with AFC Ajax is of special relevance, the Portuguese international midfielder stressed that "all games will be key games."

"We have a tough group. I've heard people belittle our group, but I really think that there are no favourites. We have a group of excellent teams who are used to these competitions. AFC Ajax, like us, are a team with many quality young players. We have many similarities between the two squads. We are two clubs who are committed to youth and have quality in our youth system. It will be a very difficult game, as will the games against Borussia Dortmund and Beşiktaş JK."

"The extra energy comes with representing this club, in any competition. Our thinking and motivation must always be high, because whoever represents this Club knows that they always enter the pitch trying to win," he added.

Finally, Palhinha spoke about his midfield partners, with a special focus on Matheus Nunes.

"We have adapted very well to each other. Matheus [Nunes] is an excellent player, as are Dani [Bragança], [Manuel] Ugarte or [Bruno] Tabata. All midfield players have different characteristics. Matheus is growing visibly, as is Dani and Ugarte. All the young players have grown, and that is due to the work of the coaching staff," he concluded.

Sporting CP play AFC Ajax in European action on Wednesday

Sporting Clube de Portugal welcome AFC Ajax this Wednesday for the first round of the UEFA Champions League group stage (8pm local time) and coach Rúben Amorim was present at the pre-match press conference.

"AFC Ajax are committed to youth and are known for creating great players, just like Sporting CP. But we are clubs in different times. Not long ago, they were in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, and they kept a lot of players. We would have to go through. several markets to get to the stage that AFC Ajax are in. We are similar clubs and similar teams in terms of youth and experience, but in this competition AFC Ajax or a much more experienced team. We face every game in the same way, whether in a national or European competition," he began by telling journalists at the Auditorio Artur Agostinho.

"In Famalicão we should have won the game, but we could also have lost. Against FC Porto we had a very good game. We're in a great moment. I think the team are prepared and should experience these moments. Having a Clássico and playing a few days later against AFC Ajax makes this team grow. Motivation will be high."

"Ajax play very good football, with rotations in their construction and wingers going down the flanks. Their coach knows the club's philosophy well and they have a very dangerous team who always have the ball, and we have to fight that," he said.

The coach confirmed that Gonçalo Inácio and Tiago Tomás will be available, but that Pedro Gonçalves and Sebastián Coates will not make the squad and it will be difficult to cover their absences.

"One was the top scorer and the best young player in the league last season, and the other was the best player in the league."

Having featured in the UEFA Champions League as a player, Amorim will make his debut in the competition as a coach. He said that "the anxiety and the desire to win are the same," despite it being a special encounter.

"Once the team goes out on the pitch and the referee blows the whistle, everything is the same. I have a bad record in Europe and I can only improve."

Finally, Amorim assured that Sporting CP's presence in the UEFA Champions League group stage will have a big say in the group's evolution.

"We will fight in every game and it's not worth looking at the maths, whether it is here or in the league. The aim is to see if we can fight amongst the best. For that to happen, we need to play great teams, like AFC Ajax. We want to be competitive and win the game."