The coach previews the season finale against Vitória SC

Sporting Clube de Portugal play Vitória SC this Saturday at 6pm, on the 34th and final matchday of the Liga Portugal season.

Ahead of the match, coach Rui Borges highlighted the importance of this game, reinforcing that nothing is won yet and that his side know that it will not be an easy fixture against his former team.

The final game
“I'm looking forward to the game -not the game itself, but just it finally coming around. I'd be lying if I didn't say that, but we have to be able to deal with this anxiety in the best way possible and transform it into good energy.”

A request to Sporting fans
“What we ask of them is to remain the same as they have been since we arrived. They have been incredible, fantastic, and there are no words to describe everything they have given us, what they have done and how they have helped us. They very much deserve to be two-time champions and that is the goal for all of us. Therefore, tomorrow they will be very important in achieving victory and our objective.”

Could the fans' euphoria rub off on the team?
“No, and I spoke about it after the last game. It’s natural for the fans to be happy, but the joy they showed when we arrived after the last game was more because we were going to play the title decider at our home ground. They feel that they are important and that they will be a great force in helping us to beat Vitória SC. That’s why the euphoria is understandable and has no influence on the players. They know that we have won absolutely nothing yet, that we have 90 minutes to play tomorrow and that this game will decide who becomes champions. The team are only focused on what they have to do, which is to win the game.”

Hidemasa Morita's availability
“Morita is ready to play and to respond, however many minutes he is given. If it is 90 minutes, great, if not, another player will play who will also give a very good response to help the team for the greater objective”.

Morten Hjulmand's absence and options to replace him
“He is an important player, who has a big role as our captain and leader on the pitch, but the team have been able to respond to his absence and that of others, because the collective spirit is very strong, the level of commitment and belief are huge and the courage and ambition are infinite in this group. Morita is ready to play, whether as a starter or not. He has had some injury problems, but that is not something that only he has had. This has also been our struggle as a team at times, but above all, I everyone is focused and they are ready to play and to help the team. Morita, Pote or someone else can play in the middle."

Dropped points and the merit of a possible title
“I have no regrets. Our journey speaks for everything we have achieved with this group. We believe that we deserve to be champions, because of the ability we have shown over time. That is our focus and that is what keeps us very focused on our sole objective. No one wins all the time, but we were able to overcome the various difficulties that arose and, therefore, the team believe that we deserve to be champions.”

Viktor Gyökeres's individual objective
“He is focused on the team and on us becoming champions. That is what he, and the whole group, want. I always praise the team and there is no ego here. No matter how much people talk about him, what he does and how much influence he has on the team, the group are all focused on the same thing. We will all be very happy if he wins the Golden Boot, but he is much more focused on us becoming champions and, for that reason, I am also sure that he will have another great game tomorrow.”

A message to the squad
“The message has been to maintain an emotional balance, to try to keep the team focused and calm at the same time. I believe that, individually, anxiety exists a little in everyone, it is part of the situation, but the important thing is how we deal with it. It's another game, but it's the last one and it has a huge importance, so we have to be able to deal with that. Our work as the coaching staff this week has also been to help them to stay calm and to put some things into perspective, not giving too much importance to just this game and making them see that it has the same importance as all the others. The reason we are here and it is down to us is because we focused on the other games. Therefore, it is about having the same energy, the same focus and rigour in this final game."