The coach talks about Matchday 14 of the season

Sporting Clube de Portugal host AFS on Saturday, on the 14th round of the Liga Portugal season. Before the contest, Rui Borges previewed the match in a press conference.

AFS

"They are, above all, an intense and aggressive team. They have experienced players and they come here with nothing to lose. They can come here with more confidence and more relaxed -in a positive sense. They come here with calm, as they have a lot to gain. They already drew in Braga, which shows what can happen if we let our guard down. The challenge will be this: For the team to be as completely switched on we have been after a week of the maximum level of demand. We have to have the same energy, focus, rigor, and intensity to be able to have a great game and win, which is what we want."

Pedro Gonçalves

"He was fit to play [against CF Estrela da Amadora and SL Benfica], and that is why he played. If he hadn't been fit, we wouldn't have run that risk. He felt discomfort in training and has a muscle injury that will take some time to recover from. He won't be able to contribute to the team in the next few games, and someone else will play."

Injuries

"It is what it is. Injuries are part of football. Last year, when I arrived, there were many injuries, some of them muscular. This year, we've had two or three muscle injuries. We've managed them very well; all of the departments have done a great job. The injuries we have now are from knocks; we don't control them. We want to avoid injuries as much as possible, but you have to keep going."

The team’s performance

"We work to have players recover as much as possible, to have them at their maximum strength. I look at them and I feel they are really motivated, which is a sign that the energy will be there. As the game progresses, if we have good intensity from the beginning, we may feel the fatigue, but that's what substitutions are for."

A possible contract renewal

"If the offer were on the table, I would sign without any problem, but it's not something on my mind right now. I have a contract until 2027, so I know very well the confidence that, from day one, has been present in the entire sporting structure. I'm just focused on doing our job well, as I think has been happening. Everything else is a consequence of my work. I'm here as a consequence of that, and that's how I'm going to look to the future. Things will come in due time. My focus is on getting better day by day, making Sporting CP stronger and winning more trophies."

The transfer market

"I don't have a list of targets, nor am I very focused on the market. I'm focused on these next few weeks of work, as we have many games coming up and I don't waste time looking at the transfer market. I don't know if we will make moves in the market or not. I focus on the current solutions, which are the ones that matter to me because I have to respond in these games. In time, we will make those decisions."

The atmosphere in the dressing room

"The group are confident and highly motivated about what's to come. They have understood what we are capable of doing in these more demanding last two games. We understand what we did well and what we didn't do so well. I don't need to say much, they know and understand because they are very ambitious. They never tire of winning, and they are always looking to be better. We didn't leave Munich happy because we really wanted to win, but we left with a clear conscience because we gave it our best and had a great game. We continue with our growth, despite a result that doesn't please us."

Zeno Debast

"When players are fit to play and at 100% within the defined parameters, they go into training. I believe Zeno will return at the beginning of January. If he comes back sooner, all the better for us, because we gain another option -since Ousmane Diomande is going to the Africa Cup of Nations."

Ousmane Diomande and Geny Catamo in the game against CD Santa Clara

"We have tried to get them available. We know it won't be very easy, but we believe it's possible. If it doesn't happen, that's part of the game. For now, as far as I know, there hasn't been a response from their national teams yet."

Individual awards in Liga Portugal and Liga Portugal 2

"I am privileged to be a part of this. I am very happy at Sporting CP. The day-to-day work makes me happy, and the energy is very good both in the youth academy and in the first team. The youngsters have managed to continue with the Sporting CP image of bringing players up from the academy to the first team. Little by little, we are having more and more youngsters with us, which is a sign that the work has been done well from the beginning. The B team are very focused and rigorous. The youngsters understand the demands of Sporting CP, how much it takes to have an opportunity in the first team. The awards are individual recognition and I am very happy for those people, who work very hard.

Francisco Trincão

"He is fit and available to play."