Adrien on his return to action and Bryan Ruiz on Wednesday's loss in Dortmund

Adrien Silva made his long awaited return from injury this Wednesday, in Sporting's narrow defeat in Dortmund.

"It is always hard to come back after a few weeks out, but I am happy to be back with the lads. No player can decide a result on their own, this only works as part of a team and that is what we will carry on doing", said Adrien at the final whistle.

Also speaking with the press was Bryan Ruiz. "We did everything we could. We had a good came against a good team and all we were missing was a goal. We had chances and possession, but couldn't get the goal."

Jorge Jesus reflects on his tactical shake up in Dortmund

Despite Sporting CP narrowly missing out to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night, coach Jorge Jesus gave credit to his players for pulling off a surprise with a formation rarely seen by the team from Alvalade.

"You could see our plan as the game went on. We played really well against Dortmund, against a really good team, and we created a few chances. The strategy we put together worked. We knew we would have a good game and that the ball would do a lot of the work for us. In the first-half Gelson had two chances on goal, but when you don't score against a team of this quality you run the risk of losing. That is what happened and honestly it was a shame. We deserved at least a point and we believed we could do it, despite the quality of our group", said Jesus at the final whistle.

Castaignos shares his Budesliga experiences ahead of Borussia Dortmund showdown

Luc Castaignos, who last year was playing in the Budesliga, was the player picked to accompany Jorge Jesus for Tuesday's pre-match press conference, ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Borussia Dortmund.

"The team is feeling confident right now. We fought hard in our first game against Dortmund and we have come here to get a result. Honestly, we feel good about tomorrow. I played in Germany last year, including against Dortmund, and I think we will have to be at our best tomorrow. That is the only way we can get something our of this", said Castaignos, adding a word on Adrien's pending return to action after injury, as well as his experience so far in the Portuguese capital: "Everyone at the club loves him (Adrien) and we are happy to have him back. He brings a lot of experience to a young team...I have to keep working in training and I am confident that the coach will give me some playing time in the future."

Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on Wednesday's visit to Dortmund

Speaking at a press conference in Signal Iduna Park ahead of his side's encounter with Borussia Dortmund, Jorge Jesus brushed off any pre-match pressure with a dose of confidence in securing a good result.

"We don't have as much pressure on us, because of the group we are in. We are fighting for qualification against two teams who are theoretically stronger than us. We are trying to qualify, but we have to be humble enough to accept that Dormund are who have a bigger reputation on the European level than us", opened Jesus, adding a word on his belief in his players: "I fully believe in the squad, even though we haven't won in the past three matches. We know what we have to do and every good team goes through its highs and lows. The same thing is happening in the Bundesliga with Dortmund."

Looking ahead to the encounter and what is one of Europe's most intimidating atmospheres, the Alvalade coach said: "Borrusia aren't only a difficult opponent because of their stadium, but because they are a quality team. They are one of the best in the Bundesliga and Europe. They are really strong in attack and everyone has trouble stopping them. We will try to keep ourselves organised in defence."

Recommendations for fans travelling to Germany

Sporting Clube de Portugal has issued the following recommendations for fans travelling to Dortmund for this Wednesday's Champions League encounter with Borussia Dormund:

• Sporting's fans will gather at Alter Markt (Old Market) in the centre of the town.
• The area is served by the Metro system (U – UBahn U46 U45).
• Signal Duna Park is the official name of Borussia Dormund's stadium and is served by various modes of public transport.
• The area will be supervised by both German and Portuguese police, as well as representatives of Sporting CP.
• Fans are to meet by 17:00 and will begin the journey to the stadium at 19:00.
• Should Sporting CP fans have tickets for areas other than those sold in Alvalade, fans will be permitted access after security validation by the host club.
• Our fans have been fantastic when it comes to avoiding the use of pyrotechnic devices and we encourage all fans to continue to act as an example, particularly considering the fines and potential closure of the stadium for use of such devices.

Real Madrid sold out

Sporting Clube de Portugal has announced the following in relation to Champions League ticket sales:

MATCHDAY 4 | BORUSSIA DORTMUND vs SPORTING CP

Following the first two phases of sales for Club Members, the remaining tickets are on sale to the general public, priced at 44.90€ each. Kick-off is scheduled for Wednesday the 2nd of November at 20h45CET. ticket offices are open from 10h to 20h until Monday the 31st of October.

MATCHDAY 5 | SPORTING CP vs REAL MADRID CF

The second phase of sales (exclusively for Club Members) has finished, with Estádio José Alvalade sold out for the return of the World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. The stadium will without doubt have its best Champions League crowd ever and the best since the stadium's inauguration on the 6th of August 2003. A third phase of sales may take place, depending on the return of tickets from Real Madrid or the Champions League sponsors.

Estádio José Alvalade set for yet another sell-out

Sporting Clube de Portugal will begin the second stage of ticket sales for the Champions League hosting of Real Madrid CF.

The phase is exclusively for Sporting Clube de Portugal members (with October 2016 fee paid), with tickets only available for Central Stand A and priced at €50 each. Ticket offices are open from 10h to 20h.

Jorge Jesus takes positives from Tuesday's loss to Borussia Dortmund

Jorge Jesus sat down with the press on Tuesday night after his side's 2-1 loss to Dortmund.

Borussia's 10th minute goal settled the German visitors and, for the Alvalade coach, the early strike was decisive: "We tried to keep hold of possession. Dortmund scored two. The first was their striker who got the better of Semedo and they settled a bit after that. We corrected a few things after the break and positioned ourselves a bit better. We improved in defence and honestly we created the most chances and played some good football. We played against a really good side tonight, who knew what to do when we scored."

Reflecting on the numbers and the chances of progression in the Champions League, Jesus added: "It will be hard, but we always knew it would be. Anything is possible and there are still 9 points up for grabs. It will be hard, of course it will, but it has been like that since the draw for this group. We still have a chance and we have two away matches now that we will look to pick up points from."

Jorge Jesus's side concede harsh Champions League loss to Dormund in Alvalade

Sporting CP slipped to a harsh defeat to Borussia Dortmund this Tuesday night (2-1), on Champions League matchday 3.

The encounter got off to a contentious start, with referee Damir Skomina turning away a penalty appeal against following a foul on Bas Dost in the 9th minute. To add insult to injury, the German visitors took the lead shortly after, when Aubameyang wrestled free of Rúben Semedo and chipped over Rui Patrício for the opening goal of the evening. Both sides battled for midfield dominance and Sporting did get the edge and started to slowly work further up the pitch. On 32 minutes, Markovic and Elias linked up to release the Brazilian on goal, only for the Borussia keeper to pull off a fine stop.

The pressure looked to have paid off in the 39th minute after Sebastian Coates put the ball in the back of the net, but the evening's official ruled out the strike for an alleged foul by Bas Dost on the goalkeeper with a decision that could have went either way. Two minutes before the break, Weigl doubled his side's lead to give Borussia what was a harsh 2-0 margin going in at half-time.

Jorge Jesus's side came out motivated after the break and were immediately on the attack. However, perhaps a touch facilitation on the part of the referee and time wasting by Borussia sapped the sting out of the evening. However, Sporting were determined to restore a lifeline and on 50 minutes Gelson Martins came painfully close after a move with Bas Dost. However, Sporting's first and what would be only strike came after Bruno César was introduced to the action. It was a back pass that resulted in the goal, with the Brazilian blasting in from a free-kick deep inside the 18-yard box, but it was not enough to salvage points from an evening in which Sporting had a good handful of chances to find the back of the net.

William Carvalho highlights Dortmunds's effectiveness in front of goal

"We will respond in our next match", affirmed William Carvalho after Sporting's 2-1 loss to Dortmund on Tuesday night, on Champions League matchday 3.

Reflecting on the action, the Sporting midfielder added: "We did well, but they had two chances and scored two goals in the first-half. Football can be like like. In the second-half we had a lot of chances, but we didn't make the most of it. It was a harsh result, but we still believe we can qualify."