Jorge Jesus names squad to face Braga

Jorge Jesus has named his squad for Liga NOS matchday 31 against Sp. Braga on Sunday (18h00).

1 – Rui Patrício
2 – Ezequiel Schelotto
4 – Jefferson
10 – Bryan Ruiz
11 – Bruno César
13 – Sebastian Coates
14 – William Carvalho
15 – Paulo Oliveira
18 – Francisco geraldes
20 – Luc Castaignos
23 – Adrien Silva
28 – Bas Dost
31 – Marvin Zeegelaar
34 – Beto Pimparel
35 – Rúben Semedo
47 – Ricardo Esgaio
56 – Daniel Podence
77 – Gelson Martins
99 – Alan Ruiz

Raul José guarantees a strong Sporting CP for the weekend's trip to Braga

Standing in for Jorge Jesus in this Saturday's pre-match press conference, Raul José promised "a strong Sporting CP", in tribute to the Alvalade coach following the death of his father this week.

"Whenever you lose a loved one it is always painful, but Jorge will be back with the same dedication and passion and the players are with him to get the win on Sunday", opened the Sporting CP assistant coach, adding: "Winning is always the priority for Sporting CP. We are with Jorge (Jesus) and we will go to Braga to get the win with the support of the fans."

As for the weekend's opposition and Sporting CP's chances of still finishing 2nd in Liga NOS, Raul José commented: ""Sp. Braga have some great players and are always strong at home. They have shown against the big teams that they are a solid team, who are difficult to play against. We will have to be at our best to win. We are focused on winning our games and at the end we will see where we finish."

Central defender arrives from Sp. Braga at the age of 27

Sporting CP has reached an agreement for the central defender André Pinto, with the Portuguese international arriving on a four-year deal from Sp. Braga.

Standing at 1.90m tall, the 27-year old already has quite the name for himself, built up during spells with FC Porto, Vit. Setúbal, Portimonense, Olhanense, Panathinaikos and Sp. Braga.

AGAP2 director Filipe Esteves presents on the role of groundbreaking technology in football

AGAP2 director Filipe Esteves opened the second day of The Future of Football International Congress this Thursday, with a presentation on the role of technology and the Football ISM application.

"This presentation will re-invent how we manage football. It will allow us to evaluate how players train and help in recruiting talent. It will also help the players' families to follow what is happening. It has taken us three years to get to where we are now, with full access to personalized information", said Esteves, going on to speak about AGAP2's partnership with Sporting CP: "The club picks the information it wants, from training, matches or personal development from season to season, with a range of information available such as what the players are eating. You can follow things in real time, including topics such as contracts and image rights. You can follow young players, get in touch with scouts and thirty seconds later have a report issued to your coordinators or coaches. This application accelerates the recruitment process and helps Sporting CP get to players first."

Jorge Jesus takes part in The Future of Football panel on coaching

Jorge Jesus was one of the speakers in Panel I (Coaching: what makes the difference?) this Wednesday, at The Future of Football International Congress.

"When I was a young lad I used to hear people say: that team doesn't have a way of playing. So what does that actually mean? Well today I know that youth football makes an important contribution and it is at that level that we set out certain rules with the players. That is where we build up a collective identity. Of course there are no exact sciences in football. Each coach has different ideas and ways of training, but we all slip up sometimes. For example, I might start in 3x4x3 formation, but that doesn't mean I won't change it during the match. I am sure that the future will see football follow the examples of sports like handball and basketball, where a lot of tactical and strategic changes happen during the match", said the Alvalade coach.

Fernando Santos speaks with Sporting TV about last year's Euro win

The Portuguese national coach, Fernando Santos, spoke with Sporting TV in an extensive interview as part of this week's The Future of Football International Congress. Asked about what it takes to win on the top European stage, Santos highlighted the importance of self-belief.

“My conviction that we could win Euro 2016 was linked to the quality of Portuguese football. That was the foundation of it. We have a lot of quality players, in our training and in our organisation, so of course I believed", opened the Portuguese coach, continuing: "We have to be fully aware of what is needed to win and that means scoring goals, but we also have to know how to defend. You really need a good balance at both ends. In football there is only one thing you can sure of: if you don't let goals in then you won't lose."

Ticket news for Liga NOS matchday 31 and 32

Sporting Clube de Portugal has announced ticketing information for the coming Liga NOS fixtures (ticket offices open from 10h to 20h).

Matchday 31
Match: Sp. Braga vs Sporting CP
Date: 30th of April (Sunday) at 18h
Location: Braga Municipal Stadium
Price: 20€
Sales: Thursday and Friday in Alvalade

Matchday 32
Match: Sporting CP vs CF Os Belenenses
Date: 7th of May (Sunday) at 11h45
Location: Estádio José Alvalade
Prices from: 5€ (Member) or 13€ (fan)
SALES ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE

The match against CF Os Belenenses will be dedicated to Sporting CP's ladies, with various special offers:

Ladies ticket + exclusive scarf: club member 7€ or fan 13€

- promotion only valid at Estádio José Alvalade ticket offices
- ticker available for any sector of the stadium (subject to availability)
- Scarf offer subject to availability

Anti-crisis tickets (from 5€ and exclusively for club members) and family tickets (21€ for 3 people, one of whom must be a club member with fees paid up to date) are also available.

Luis Martins and Co. re-find their winning form with goals from Gelson Dala and Matheus Pereira

Sporting CP B returned to winning form in Ledman LigaPro this Weekend, courtesy of a 3-0 home victory over V. Guimarães B.

After slipping to the first loss of his command (2-1 against Penafiel), Luís Martins rallied his troops for what promised to be a tough encounter. To continue what has been a brilliant turnaround in Sporting CP B's fortunes, Martins brought in first team faces André Geraldes, Ricardo Esgaio, João Palhinha, Francisco Geraldes, Ryan Gauld and Matheus Pereira.

Jorge Jesus highlights his side's dominance going forward in the Lisbon derby

Sporting CP was not happy with the split points in the Lisbon derby on Saturday night, after what he saw as a dominant display from his side.

"Matches aren't defined by possession. They are defined by opportunities and we were better in that regard. We had two good chances though Bas Dost, who is still having a tough time from long range. We didn't win because we didn't take the two or three chances you have in these games. I am happy with how the lads played, but now with the result. One team went for the win and the other one didn't create chances. I wouldn't say that one team was better though", said Jesus.

Speaking about SL Benfica's approach to the encounter and his introduction of Jefferson and Paulo Oliveira in defence, the Alvalade boss affirmed: "Benfica didn't have chances on goal. In the second-half we were not as good in defence,bur we tried to hit on the counter-attack where we could. Benfica ended up scoring from a well-taken free-kick. Jefferson has a bit more pace than Bruno César, which is why I picked him to deal with Salvio's movement. On the other hand, I made the right choice with Paulo Oliveira. Rúben Semedo is carrying a bit of a physical problem and Paulo gave us the security we needed."

Points split in the Lisbon derby

The Lisbon derby ended in a 1-1 draw this Saturday, on an evening which saw an absolutely tremendous display of support from a capacity Estádio José Alvalade.

Pushed on by the crowd, Jorge Jesus' charges absolutely burst out the blocks at the starting whistle and hd the ball in the back of the net after just give minutes, when Adrien kept his cool from the penalty spot after Ederson had fouled Bas Dost. referee Artur Soares instantly blew for the spot kick and the Alvalade captain didn't disappoint. Incredibly, it was actually the first time that SL Benfica had conceded from a penalty since the 1st of April 2016. The numbers speak for themselves.

The visitors looked nervous and Sporting CP continued to press, but Rui Vitória's side held out on the explosive start to the encounter soon boiled over. Sporting CP led by the narrowest of margins at the break, but Jorge Jesus' side came out firing on all cylinders for the second-half and Bas Dost came close to doubling the lead on two occasions (48') and (54').

Unable to open up a more secure lead, SL Benfica were always in with a chance of getting back into it and Lindelof equalised six minutes after the hour mark. Jesus responded with the introduction of Daniel Podence, but the scoreboard remained unaltered until the final whistle.