Adrien speaks up for the team at the final whistle in Sétubal

Adrien Silva assumed his role as the Alvalade skipper this Wednesday night, after some debatable refereeing decisions dictated a loss to V. Setúbal (2-1).

"Again. These mistakes are becoming constant. The lads are annoyed with so many wrong decisions, it is just getting to be so much now. I am sure he did is best, which is why I honestly don't know what to say. We train as hard as we can and we are hurt by mistakes. Our objectives are being damaged by other factors", said Adrien at the final whistle.

Jorge Jesus on Wednesday's CTT Cup loss to Setúbal

"It is a lack of respect for Sporting CP, for the players, the coach and our directors", opened Jorge Jesus in a post-match interview with the press this week, after his side's loss to V. Setúbal (2-1), courtesy of a last-minute penalty.

"The match was decided by one incident. It was an important game for us, worth a place in the League Cup semi-final. Naming a referee with no experience with the three big teams shows the lack of interest in this competition. I have been a coach for many years and I have never seen giving penalties against Sporting CP be so easy", added the Alvalade coach, finishing: "We are upset, because we feel like we have been robbed of the opportunity to get into the semi-finals. We did what we needed to and scored, but we can't control what the referee does. The players feel like it is easy for people to attack Sporting CP."

Penalty given by Rui Oliveira ends Sporting CP's CTT Cup campaign

Sporting CP missed out to Vitória de Setúbal (2-1) this Wednesday, in a match which saw referee Rui Oliveira attract the limelight for the wrong reasons, gifting a penalty with seconds left on the clock. Television replays show that the fault in the 18-yard box indicated by the referee was non-existent, but the decision stood all the same, eliminating Sporting CP from CTT Cup Group A.

Jorge Jesus' faced an uphill battle for the duration, after Frederico Venâncio opened the scoring for the hosts in the 19th minute. It wasn't until the second-half that the team from Alvalade pulled level, with a 79th minute strike from Elias. However it was the last-minute penalty that eventually decided it.

Jorge Jesus announces squad for CTT Cup matchday 3

Jorge Jesus has announced his squad list for Wednesday night's visit to Estádio do Bonfim, to take on V. Setúbal on CTT Cup Group A matchday 3:

26-Azbe Jug
34-Beto
3-Markovic
4-Jefferson
7-Campbell
10-Bryan Ruiz
11-Bruno César
13-Coates
14-William Carvalho
15-Paulo Oliveira
16-André Felipe
19-Douglas
20-Castaignos
22-Elias
23-Adrien
28-Bas Dost
47-Ricardo Esgaio
77-Gelson Martins

Jorge Jesus on Wednesday's CTT Cup showdown with Setúbal

Speaking with the press before Wednesday's final CTT Cup Group A encounter, Jorge Jesus relayed his confidence in securing the result needed to get into the semi-finals.

"We need the result to get into the final four and well all know that. We have two wins and we need another result on the way to the final, which is what we have been working on in training. We are feeling confident and the lads have been responding well during the week. It will be a hard game, but we feel we will get over this hurdle", affirmed the Sporting coach, adding: "Vitória de Setúbal also have a chance of qualifying, although it depends on the other match, but we have everything we need to get a good result. This is an important phase for us and we are battling on all fronts, but that is exactly where we want to be."

Sales news for the CTT Cup and Liga NOS

Sporting Clube de Portugal has begun ticket sales as follows:

VITÓRIA DE SETÚBAL (CTT CUP MATCHDAY 3)

. Exclusive for Sporting Clube de Portugal members
. Member fee applicable: December 2016
. Tickets priced at 7.5€ and are for the South Goal End
. Kick-off is at 20h15 on the 4th of January, in Setúbal

FEIRENSE (16ª JORNADA LIGA NOS)

. Tickets from 5€ (members) or 17€ (fans)
. Member fee applicable: December 2016
. Match included in Gamebox 2016/2017
. Kick-off is at 20h15 on the 8th of January, in Estádio José Alvalade

Estádio José Alvalade ticket offices will be open from 10h00 to 20h00.

Jorge Jesus satisfied with his side's performance but is looking for better finishing

A satisfactory performance with some spells of attractive football, despite a frustrating number of wasted chances on goal. That is how Jorge Jesus saw Friday's CTT Cup win against Varzim, which projected his side to the top of Group A.