Jorge Jesus looks ahead to Saturday's visit to Guimarães

Sporting will travel to Guimarães tomorrow for what is always a tricky encounter. While Sporting have been in blistering form, Vitória are having a solid start to the campaign, having tallied 10 points. 

Jorge Jesus proved well aware of the difficulties awaiting, but guaranteed that his team have done their homework in preparation to go for the three points: "We have to be as careful as possible when traveling to Guimarães. It is a hard stadium to go to and win, but we are ready for what they will throw at us. Our objective is the three points."

Gelson Martins was also an inevitable talking point in the day's press conference, after the youngster was given his first international senior cap. "Gelson had a great season last year and this year he is making a name for himself, but he still has a long way to go. He is a young lad who knows how good he is and right now he is the only player in Portugal who can bring magic, creativity, speed and the positioning he has learnt at Sporting. It won't be long before Rúben Semedo is called up as well", finished Jesus.

Alvalade side on the road for Portuguese Cup 3rd round

Sporting Clube de Portugal has been drawn against Famalicão in the Portuguese Cup 3rd round. Jorge Jesus will travel to the team in the north of Portugal on the 16th of October, in a fixture moved forward two days ahead of Sporting's Champions League hosting of Borussia Dortmund.

Gelson Martins ecstatic with first senior international cap

Gelson Martins was named with the nation's stars for the first time this week, included in Portugal's squad list for two coming internationals.

"I feel proud. I am still only 21 and I want to carry on growing, but this is really important for me", said Gelson at the news of his inclusion, adding: "This was one of my objectives. First I had to play well for Sporting and then I could represent my country. I have learnt a lot (with Jorge Jesus) and he has been really important for me."

Fernando Santos names quad for matches with Andorra and Faroe Islands

Fernando Santos has named a squad of 24 for the coming matches against Andorra (7th of October) and the Faroe Islands (10th of October).

The big news is Gelson Martins first senior international call up, after the youngster's brilliant start to the season.

Francisco Barão on Sporting B's 5-1 win on Wednesday

The Sporting B assistant coach Francisco Barão stepped in to speak with the press after his side's 5-1 win against Cova da Piedade this Wednesday, reflecting on what was expected to be a tougher encounter than it proved to be.

"Cova da Piedade deserved our respect and that is why we played so well. They are a hardworking team and it was down to us to come out on top. We have to see where we have been slipping up and that takes time, but hopefully today we got ourselves back on the right track", said Francisco Barão at the final whistle.

Leonardo Ruiz scores twice in Sporting B's return to winning form

Leonardo Ruiz was the player chosen to speak with the press after Sporting B's win against Cova da Piedade, in an encounter which saw the new Alvalade recruit net twice.

"I am really happy to have helped the team. That is what matters most to me", said Ruiz, who had scored three goals in four outings so far this season.

Sporting B with superb return to winning form in Ledman LigaPro

An aging Cova da Piedade visited the Sporting Academy this week to face João de Deus's side on Ledman LigaPro matchday 9. In face, the visitors are littered with recognisable names from Portuguese football, including Danielson (ex-Moreirense), Dieguinho (ex-Estoril) and Evaldo (ex-Moreirense and Sporting). Sporting B came on leaps and bounds against Gil Vicente in their last match, but not even the most optimistic fan would have been expecting a 5-1 win.

Although faced by a scorching 35 degrees, Sporting B stormed out of the blocks and Matheus led the showcase with his usually skillful master class. After just 4 minutes, the winger came close to opening the scoring with a shot that ended up just wide.

An aging Cova da Piedade side yes, but it was Sporting B who showed the maturity after the break and just 45 seconds had past when Ruiz headed in his second before the fans had even had a chance to get back to their seats.

Sales information for Liga NOS matchday seven

Tickets for Liga NOS matchday 7, between Vitória Sport Clube and Sporting Clube de Portugal will go on sale at the Estádio José Alvalade ticket office as follows:

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY (10H TO 20H) | Gamebox 2016/2017 holders
FRIDAY (10H TO 15H) | Club Members
FRIDAY (15H ÀS 20H) | General public

Club members must show a valid Gamebox or Member card (August 2016 fees applicable), with each card valid for one ticket. Each person may bring a maximum of four cards.

V. Guimarães vs. Sporting will get underway at 18h15 on Saturday the 1st of October, in Estádio Dom Afonso Henriques. Tickets are for the North Goal End and are priced at 15€ each.

Bruno César reflects on Tuesday's Champions League win

Bruno César was handed a somewhat surprising start higher up the pitch against Legia Warsaw this Tuesday, but the Brazilian all-rounder looked like a natural in support of Bas Dost in the Alvalade attack.

"It was a hard match, but it was different to what we did in Madrid. We knew we had to win, after everything we did in the Santiago Bernabéu and in the league. We scored in the first-half and managed the game after that. Our objective is to get into the next round and every game is important now. Borussia are a good team and we will have to be at our best", said the Brazilian at the final whistle.

Sporting in cruise control on Champions League matchday 2

Sporting CP outclassed Legia Warsaw on Champions League matchday 2 this Tuesday night, securing 3 points with a 2-0 win to put the pressure on group leaders Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

The game actually got off to tense start for Jesus's side, with Legia looking to show that they had shaken off the matchday 1 thrashing by Dortmund (6-0) by venturing forward against what was expected to be a dominating Sporting.

However, the Polish visitor's resistance didn't keep up for long and as soon as Sporting turned up the pace, possession and opportunities followed. First to try his look was Bruno César with one of his usually audacious efforts from range (10'), followed by Adrien a minute later (11'). Bruno César was having a terrorising night going forward and in the 17th minute the stand-in midfielder picked out Bas Dost in the heart of the area, but the Dutchman's shot was cut out by Czerwinski as he raced back into position. One minute later, Gelson somehow managed to hammer a rebound off the underside of the cross bar and out to safety from little more than three metres away.

The first big cheer of the night came in the 26th minute, but it wasn't because the ball was in the back of the net, at least not in Alvalade. Over in England, former Alvalade hero Islam Slimani had opened the scoring against FC Porto and the news was enthusiastically welcomed in Alvalade.

Slimani's goal over a thousand miles away was the signal for Sporting's opener, when Bryan Ruiz popped up at the far post (28') for a goal that had been coming pretty much since the opening whistle.Bas Dost has a couple of opportunities to double the lead with a header wide (32') and an effort cut out by Rzezniczak (35'), before it was third time lucky for the Dutchman with a shot that sent Malarz the wrong way.

With the result essentially guaranteed, the rest of the encounter was largely just management for Sporting, as minds turn to a generally tough encounter with Guimarães at the weekend.