The coach expects a new challenge when Sporting CP play FC Alverca for the second time in a week

Sporting Clube de Portugal will host FC Alverca on Friday in Liga Portugal, and Rui Borges previewed the match in a press conference.

The match
"It will be a different game from Tuesday's, when we met them in the Taça da Liga. There will be changes for both sides, with different players and characteristics, and different dynamics. The motivation and focus will be different. I believe it will be a more difficult game - I have no doubt about that - but the team that I field tomorrow will have the same energy as that which played on Tuesday. I am very confident about the response the team will give."

His starting lineup
"Everyone has been a starter at some point, so I don't know what the starting lineup is. We had to manage the Taça da Liga  game differently, but for tomorrow we'll field whoever is best prepared to start. Those who have come on during the games have given a fantastic response. Regarding the choices for the XI, I'm comfortable with whoever plays. Of course, there will be changes. I have confidence in any player who comes in tomorrow."

Forwards
"Fotis [Ioannidis] arrived at the club late on and joined at a time when we were already at the beginning of the competitions. He has adapted to the team and his teammates, he has grown a lot and the group recognises his quality, as well as that of Luis Suárez. Luis has been responding well, as has Fotis, who is very focused. He is happy, he knows he is growing and that he will have his opportunities. Luis knows that there is someone there who can also play. They have both been responding well. They are different in one or two aspects. Fotis gives us more depth, Luis gives us more build-up play.”

Salvador Blopa
"Today he trained with the B team. He is a player with enormous potential and who will have a bright future. He is growing, he has managed to evolve with the B team. Maybe I didn't expect it, but suddenly he's become a starter for the B team and played for the first team. Everything has happened very quickly. I look at him and he seems very balanced and very focused. He has to continue responding at his level to have more opportunities with the first team. He seized this last opportunity and responded when he didn't even think he was going to play and only dreamed of coming into the team."

The January transfer window
"It isn’t even crossing my mind. The best response was Tuesday's game. The youngsters are there to help and respond. It's no coincidence that Sporting CP are one of the best clubs in the world for youth development."

Integration of young players into the first team
"The context on Tuesday] was favourable. It's important that the youngsters are supported by mature players who have been here for some time. Despite everything, we had a team with international players in it. Even Geovany Quenda, who is a youngster, is mature and has enjoyed many games with the first team. The youngsters were surrounded by maturity and status at national and international level, which was important. Youth development has been going on for a long time, not just with me, and it has borne fruit. It doesn't mean that ten Cristiano Ronaldos will come out of here, but we will identify the players with the greatest potential, to develop them and prepare them for the demands of the first team. We have to have the courage to give opportunities. In this case, they responded and we have to continue like this.”

Squad management
"There will always be unhappiness from those who don't play, and it's part of the game. It's normal, but they have to channel it so that when they play, they leave the coach thinking about different things that he can do. I'm lucky to have a group that recognises a lot of quality in others. There isn't the ego that exists at many clubs, which makes the coaches' job difficult. At Sporting CP, everyone respects each other. It helps me a lot to control resentment. They understand that it's important to give a response and I also have to understand how to best rotate players. Nobody expects to be a guaranteed starter. I believe that tomorrow's team will be focused, because those who played on Tuesday gave a great response and they don't want to fall short of that."

Rayan Lucas
"He's been fantastic. He's a player from the B team, but he trains with us every day. He's a Brazilian Under-20 international, which says a lot about his quality. He has very good potential to be a great player. He's still adapting and has some bad habits from Brazilian youth football, but he's improving little by little. When he manages to fully adapt to the demands and the way of playing in Europe and Portugal, he has technical, physical, and athletic ability. He can have a very bright future, which could come at Sporting CP. He's a good kid, very humble, calm, and likes to listen, accepts things, and greatly respects his teammates. He understands that he will improve little by little."