The coach speaks on the eve of the Champions League opener

Sporting CP return to the Champions League this season, and begin their campaign on Tuesday at home to LOSC Lille.

Coach Rúben Amorim previewed the game in his usual press conference, beginning by highlighting the importance of the club being back at the highest level.

"It is very important for all clubs to play in the UEFA Champions League, for the growth of the team, for the appreciation of their players, for the financial gain that allows us to not sell more than we should, and we have proven that," he said.

"I don't know if it will be harder or easier with the new format, but I think it is more appealing. It allows for more games, which is good for the clubs, giving more excitement and games against different teams. We are all excited to play with this format -and especially to be playing in the Champions League".

When asked about the large number of players in the squad who could make their debut in the competition, Amorim downplayed their inexperience.

“Viktor [Gyökeres] will play his first Champions League game, but nobody would say he is not ready to play these types of games, and the same goes for Morten [Hjulmand]. I think the first time we played in the Champions League, we were very inexperienced. Now, I feel the team are anxious for the first game, but more prepared -perhaps also because I feel more prepared to help them in this competition."

"The first game is at home and the fans' expectations are very high. We have to learn to live with that. It will be a difficult game, with some anxiety, but we are more prepared than we were three years ago", he added.

LOSC Lille reached the UEFA Champions League after finishing their last domestic campaign in fourth place, then beating Turkish team Fenerbahçe SK and Czech side SK Slavia Praha in the qualifying rounds. This season, they are on a run of three consecutive defeats coming into this contest.

"The French championship is much more evenly matched, and it is more difficult to see LOSC Lille with a more marked positional attack, while we spend most of our games like that," commented Amorim. "They are a very strong team physically, also very gifted technically and have a great striker, with great quality [Jonathan David], and three very fast central defenders who can cause more difficulties for our attack."

"They play a more open game every week and we don't, and that can make a difference in terms of fitness. So we have to keep the ball for ourselves and try to push the opposition, knowing that it's more difficult than in our league. It's a great incentive to watch tomorrow."

Defender Eduardo Quaresma will not be able to take part in the game, due to an ankle sprain, joining Vladan Kovačević, Jeremiah St. Juste and Diogo Pinto on the sidelines.

On youngster Tiago Santos, who was part of the Sporting CP youth system and has now become a standout at LOSC Lille, the coach said "He even trained with the first team, but I didn't see what others saw, just like with [Renato] Veiga. It's good to see that the academy produces players who, sometimes despite the different views of the coaches, are getting called up to the national team even without playing for our first team. I hope he's welcomed here, that he plays badly tomorrow, but that everything goes well for him afterwards."

One young player who is on the books, however, is Geovany Quenda, who at 17 could make his UEFA Champions League debut.

"He's not anxious about the game, because he fell asleep today and arrived late for the teamtalk, and he lives at the Academia," he joked.

"If there's one player I don't feel anxious about, it's Quenda, but when he hears the Champions League music and the atmosphere, he'll feel it. There's no way around it."

"The objectives for us now are to be two-time champions of Portugal, go as far as we can in the Champions League and win the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga. To do that, we will have to rotate the players and everyone is ready. I feel that this team are ready to be competitive and to play our game in the Champions League."

The striker looks ahead to his potential debut in the competition

Before the first Champions League game of the season for Sporting Clube de Portugal, against French side LOSC Lille, striker Viktor Gyökeres spoke to the media.

"Everyone who plays football dreams of playing in the UEFA Champions League. The team and I are eager to get started, and I think we are prepared and excited too," he began by saying.

The 26-year-old Swedish international will make his debut on the biggest stage of European football, and commented "It's a dream to play in the UEFA Champions League, so I want to do well and have great games."

Eight goals and three assists in six games for Sporting CP in 2024/25 – plus three goals and two assists for Sweden–  make Gyökeres one of the most in-form marksmen in world football. He commented that “I am in very good form, but I can still be better. We have the objective of winning every game we play, wherever it is, and in the UEFA Champions League too. Let’s see how far we can go. I always want to score and I hope to keep this up in the Champions League."

“Personally, I want to do better than last year, and I am very happy at Sporting CP," the forward added.

Finally, when asked about the latest attacking signing for the club, young Danish player Conrad Harder, Gyökeres described him as "an exciting player."

"We haven't trained together much yet, but he's big, physically strong and good on the ball."

The coach talks after the Champions League opener

After Sporting Clube de Portugal's 2-0 victory over Lille OSC in the UEFA Champions League, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match in a press conference.

"The result was better than the performance and the sending off helped. Everything went well, but we have a lot to do still," he began by telling journalists, before commenting on Zeno Debast's fantastic goal that made it 2-0.

"There are not many words to describe it. It was a great goal. I was upset with his decision to shoot, but the best goals happen when you least expect them. If there was anyone who needed a goal and a performance like this, it was Zeno. His quality is there. There were some doubts from people about him, but in Belgium he is a beloved player. The goal was very important, but the performance even more so."

When asked who could stop Sporting CP, Rúben Amorim was quick to respond: "AVS" -this weekend's opponents.

"Anything can happen and we have to stay focused. This game was good, but we could see the nervousness that we had, and the sending off helped a lot. Any team can stop Sporting CP, we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and know how to read the game to improve," he explained.

Regarding Conrad Harder, who made his debut for Sporting CP, the coach expressed his satisfaction.

"He is a player who, in the little time he had on the pitch, showed a lot of what he can do. He pressed for every ball, headed a free kick, and held on to the ball and was fouled, helping the team move upfield. He confirmed what we had seen in him, but he needs some more training time and we have had little of that. The same goes for Maxi Araújo."

"Looking at the game, I think Morten can improve, Trincão can make better decisions, Pote can be even more involved. You can see that Maxi isn't into the swing of things yet, but he has very good characteristics. You could see the players' lack of experience in difficult moments. However, today everything went well, except for Inácio's injury," he insisted.

Finally, and after revealing that Hidemasa Morita's withdrawal at half-time was due to his yellow card, Amorim spoke about the several consecutive games Sporting CP have gone without conceding a goal.

"Quenda is doing better defensively and Geny Catamo and Nuno Santos have already worked on that aspect. We have improved, been compact, been focused and been good at set pieces. It's a question of a bit of luck and a bit more work with the players."

A 2-0 win against Lille OSC gets the campaign underway

On their return to the UEFA Champions League, Sporting Clube de Portugal got off to a flying start by beating Lille OSC 2-0 at home. Viktor Gyökeres and Zeno Debast scored the goals against the French side to get the first three points available in the competition.

Before kickoff, a minute's silence was held in tribute to the victims of the fires that have hit Portugal this week.

Sporting CP made three changes to their starting eleven, with Matheus Reis, Daniel Bragança and Nuno Santos making way for Ousmane Diomande, Hidemasa Morita and Geny Catamo.

The match began with Lille OSC allowing Sporting CP to have the ball, and they dominated the opening minutes without creating any major danger. The opening shot came when Hidemasa Morita struck wide from distance.

In a setback for the team, Gonçalo Inácio was injured after just 13 minutes, and Matheus Reis was brought on to replace him.

Little by little, the home side grew stronger and increasingly threatened their opponents. In the 17th minute Pedro Gonçalves shot wide, and shortly afterwards an excellent team move ended with Francisco Trincão also missing the target.

Almost half an hour into the game, Sporting CP came very close to scoring: Viktor Gyökeres set up Gonçalves to shoot, but Lille OSC goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier made a good save to deny him.

The deserved first goal of the contest came in the 38th minute, when a mistake by the Lille OSC defense allowed Gonçalves to win the ball and pass to Gyökeres. The Swede spun, gaining the space needed to get a drive into the net, and scored on his Champions League debut.

Lille OSC went down to ten men when Angel Gomes received a second yellow card, and failed to threaten before the interval. At halftime, Sporting CP led 1-0, having had six shots to the visitors' none.

Coach Rúben Amorim replaced Hidemasa Morita with Daniel Bragança for the second half and their dominance further increased. Geovany Quenda, Trincão, Bragança and Geny Catamo's all came within inches of a second goal.

It eventually arrived in the 65th minute, with a stunning effort from Zeno Debast. From the middle of the pitch, after a pass from Bragança, the Belgian centre back fired a powerful shot into the top corner that brought the Estádio José Alvalade to its feet.

After once again saving a shot from Gonçalves, Lille OSC goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier had to work hard to deny a one-on-one with Bragança, and Quenda could not convert from the rebound.

The 17-year-old was replaced by Maxi Araújo for another Champions League debut.

Lille OSC managed their first shot on 74 minutes, through Rémy Cabella, and at the other end, Sporting CP continued to be strong: Gyökeres shot into the side netting after a tremendous individual effort.

Conrad Harder came on for Trincão to get his first minutes for Sporting CP, and even came close to scoring with a header that went just over the bar.

Lille OSC had their best chance of the match with Rémy Cabella, but Franco Israel stood firm to keep a clean sheet.

Next up is Liga Portugal action against AVS on Sunday, while the UEFA Champions League returns on October 1st with an away trip to play PSV Eindhoven.

Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Zeno Debast, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio (Matheus Reis, 13'), Geovany Quenda (Maxi Araújo, 73'), Morten Hjulmand [C], Hidemasa Morita (Daniel Braganca, 46'), Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincao (Conrad Harder, 87'), Pedro Gonçalves and Viktor Gyökeres.

The coach analyses 'o Clássico'

After Sporting CP's 2-0 victory over FC Porto, coach Rúben Amorim talked about the game and the result in his post-match press conference.

“It wasn't one of the best Clássicos. There were different strategies in play, but we controlled things well and were better at pressing. We often let FC Porto play with their goalkeeper, because they expected us to go for the ball and leave one of their players free, but we were more intelligent in that approach. We were always building play and taking the ball forward, and after the first ten minutes we settled into FC Porto's half and created more opportunities", he began by analysing.

“Even so, we have a lot to improve in all aspects, as we lost the ball a lot. I remember at least two or three passes by Diomande, without pressure on him, in which the ball went out. These details sometimes make it difficult to have a more fluid game. The play inside was very stifled and sometimes we need those moments, as we only had one or two with Morita and Gonçalves. We tried to play our game, against difficult opponents, but we were always the team that came closest to scoring and pushed the most in search of the victory. We ended up achieving that".

Amorim highlighted the improvement in the team since the most recent editions of the fixture. “Winning this game obviously gives us an advantage, boosts the team's morale before the international break and is very important, but it doesn't say anything about what will happen in the season as a whole, while the other games we played against FC Porto had trophies at stake. That will always be there and should be there. Those two games had different stories, but today we were more complete throughout the game. Even halfway through the second half, when FC Porto were playing better, I felt that the team were not nervous. We are growing and still have a lot to grow in, as there are many weaknesses that will still be exposed in Champions League games. We have to make the most of every minute to work”, he said.

The coach was also asked whether the choice of Geny Catamo on the left flank should be maintained, given that the Mozambican scored the second goal shortly after replacing Geovany Quenda on the right.

“Geny will compete with Quenda on the right wing. Geny, even though he was tired, broke up an FC Porto team that had much more space. We also have to look at the number of times Quenda took the ball forward and didn’t let Galeno get away... One thing leads to another, Quenda did the dirty work and then Geny used his strength, pressed less, played a little lower and helped us out. Now, we have to have two players per position and Geny will return to the right. But when he has to play on the left, he will do so again".

As for Viktor Gyökeres, the forward who was once again crucial and scored the first goal of the match, the coach was pleased with the Swede’s performance.

“He is a different player from everyone else in the league. He was very competent defensively, more so than in the last two games, but also because he needed it more. He also has a level of fitness that, three games after undergoing surgery, he is already starting to have the ability to get the numbers he used to in terms of metres covered and high intensity. He is a very important player for us and he gives us an advantage. When we defend lower down, we know that we always have a tall, blonde guy ready to receive the ball in space - and it is very difficult to stop him. I am very happy with Viktor”, he stressed.

Amorim was asked if, after Pedro Gonçalves’ performance, he was his favourite player.

“I can’t say that because they are all my favourites. However, Pote is a special player in every way. I wouldn’t swap him for anyone else and, if I were anywhere else, he would probably be the first player I would want to bring in, because he can do everything. He is a central midfielder, but if I put him on the wing he knows how to play there. I don’t do that because I wouldn’t like it to be done to me either. He is a very special player for me”, admitted the coach.

In closing, he downplayed the importance of the victory, which allows Sporting CP to maintain their 100% winning record in Liga Portugal.

“The objective is still very far away. You don’t even look at the table at this stage of the season. Obviously it’s good to have four wins and a two-goal advantage in the head-to-head with FC Porto, and everything is important, but there is still a lot of time left. Three points is coverable in just one matchday and there are teams that can catch us; we might not even finish the matchday in first place because of goals scored"..

The Sporting CP coach previews 'O Clássico' against FC Porto

At the Estádio José Alvalade, Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Porto meet in a Saturday encounter in Liga Portugal. The home team's coach, Rúben Amorim, spoke in a press conference on Friday to preview the match.

“FC Porto have changed a lot since the Supertaça”, he noted, specifying the new nuances in the opponents' game. “With Pepê and [Wenderson] Galeno on the same wing, they play in a completely different way. Just the fact that Galeno is at left-back creates a lot of difficulties for us in terms of the defensive approach. In terms of attack, we will play our way, which is very clear. It was difficult to prepare the defensive side, so we will stick to our principles", he explained, before pointing out the aspects that need to be improved compared to the extra time loss in the Supertaça.

“We have to defend better in key moments and be better at throw-ins and set pieces, but we also have room to improve with the ball”, he told journalists.

“We have to think that it is a long season, but this is a direct duel, we want to win it and we want to maintain our position. We have to forget what happened in the previous meeting with them, in the same way that we have to forget that we were champions last year. It is in the past".

“It has always been a 50/50 game, but now they look at Sporting CP differently. I think we have made things even. Tomorrow, we want to win and we are playing at home, which is an extra factor that helps. They are opponents who won two trophies against us not long ago; I am not saying it's a matter of revenge, but we want to change the course of those events", he pointed out.

As for his squad options, Amorim revealed that captain Morten Hjulmand and Nuno Santos are both called up. On the downside, defender Jeremiah St. Juste will continue to be absent, as he undergoes treatment without a set date for his return".

Sporting CP welcomed a new signing this past week, in left-back/winger Maxi Araújo. Amorim said he was “very pleased” with his first impressions of the Uruguayan in training. “He fits in very well with our project. He is a young player, at 24 years old, an international for his country, and plays in a position where we only had Nuno Santos. We adapted Geny Cantamo a little and Matheus Reis can also play there, but he has completely different characteristics. We needed another player and Nuno’s injury showed us that. He helps in positions at the back and further upfield".

Questioned about the transfer market, Amorim began by highlighting the club's efforts to keep key players.  “Viktor Gyökeres staying is perhaps more important than us spending his money on two forwards. Keeping players like Morten [Hjulmand], [Gonçalo] Inácio, Ousmane [Diomande], Viktor and Pedro Gonçalves is very important and this effort has been made by the club”.

“The important thing is that I am very satisfied and proud of what the club are doing, because we are doing our utmost to have the players we want. Whether a forward comes in or not, I am satisfied, because the club have done everything. The window is not yet closed and there is always hope. We will find solutions; we always have".

Asked to comment on the recent words from Cristiano Ronaldo, who wished Sporting CP all the best for the season, Rúben Amorim took the opportunity to outline the ambition that drives his team in 2024/25. “This team, with so many young players, will have a very long season, in which we have to win almost every game to become champions. We will have two derbies and two Clássicos, not to mention the cups and eight-plus Champions League games at a very high level. There are so many games of such a high calibre that, whatever happens, this team will be much stronger and the players will be better prepared at the end of the year. There is no hiding it: We really want to be two-time champions".

Amorim also addressed the recent callups to the Portuguese national team, which included four Sporting CP players: Gonçalo Inácio, Pedro Gonçalves, Francisco Trincão and first-timer Geovany Quenda. “I'm very happy. They are in very good form and I think they will help the team a lot. We are entering a new cycle. I don’t think anyone expected Quenda to break out at this point, but everyone could see that if he remained humble and worked hard it would be just a matter of time. It was already, I think it was deserved, as others also deserved it."

Amorim also gave a statement on the Champions League draw, saying that "The aim is always to get to the next stage. It would always be difficult, whatever the format. The format is different and it is good to have more games, for the development of our players. We were perhaps drawn against the strongest teams at home and then we will go away against teams where people feel there is more equality. It will be a tough season and all the players have to be prepared."

The Portuguese champs find out their eight opponents

Manchester City FC (home), RB Leipzig (away), Club Brugge KV (away), Arsenal FC (home), Lille OSC (home), PSV Eindhoven (away), Bologna FC 1909 (home) and SK Sturm Graz (away) are the opponents drawn for the Sporting Clube de Portugal in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, which has undergone an overhaul in format this season.

The draw, which also featured several changes, took place late on Thursday afternoon, at the Grimaldi Forum, in Monaco.

Although the opponents and the venues for the matches have already been established, the final calendar with the order of the rounds, the dates of the fixtures and their respective times will be made public on Saturday, August 31st, to avoid possible incompatibilities between competitions.

What is certain is that the European campaign will begin between September 17th and 19th, while the eighth and final game is scheduled for January 29th, 2025.

After participating in the competition in 2022/23, Rúben Amorim's side are back involved as Liga Portugal's reigning champions, and are among the 36 teams that will inaugurate the new competitive format.

To comply with the new parameters, the draw was left to an automated system - after each club's ball was manually removed from its respective pot - and an algorithm assigned the eight opponents to each team.

The main change sees the introduction of single league stage which, under a points system, brings together all participating clubs in the same table. As a result of this change and the increase in the number of teams in the competition (from 32 to the current 36), this new edition of the UEFA Champions League will feature eight games for each team, before a move to two knockout rounds with sides from each of the four pots. The competition then moves on to the knockout stage proper.

To qualify directly, teams must finish the league phase among the top eight teams. In turn, the teams that finish between ninth and 24th will have to play a two-legged play-off to also secure a place in the 'Round of 16'. The last twelve teams (25th to 36th) will be eliminated not only from the UEFA Champions League, but also from all European competitions during the season, as there will no longer be a 'relegation' situation that takes sides into the UEFA Europa League.

SCHEDULE FOR THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
Matchday 8: 29 January 2025

Sporting CP beat SC Farense 0-5 on the road

At the Estádio Algarve, Sporting Clube de Portugal continued their impressive start to the Liga Portugal season, beating SC Farense 0-5 on Matchday 3.

Playing away from home for the second consecutive game, they once again showed their effectiveness in front of goal, with a hat-trick by Viktor Gyökeres, a strike by Marcus Edwards and an own goal also accompanied by a clean sheet.

Picking his side to face an always aggressive and demanding SC Farense team coached by José Mota, Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim repeated the starting XI from the 1-6 win over CD Nacional. It consisted of Vladan Kovačević, Eduardo Quaresma, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Geovany Quenda, Hidemasa Morita, Daniel Bragança, Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves and Viktor Gyökeres. Captain Morten Hjulmand and defender Jeremiah St. Juste remained out due to injury, while Nuno Santos and Rodrigo Ribeiro returned to the squad.

SC Farense decided to host the match at the Estádio Algarve instead of their own Estádio de São Luís, due to the additional interest in the contest, and were still looking for their first goals and points of the season.

Sporting CP quickly created several dangerous approaches in the first few minutes, the most notable requiring goalkeeper Ricardo Velho to save a shot from Gonçalves. Gyökeres - always ready to attack from deep - had two good opportunities to finish, but both of his hits ended up blocked on the way to goal. On the third attempt, after a quarter of an hour had elapsed, Velho got the better of the Swedish striker, reading his intentions in a one-on-one.

SC Farense's defence had blocked a shot from Quenda in the area, but from there, Gyökeres took over. It all started with Gonçalves, who played a brilliant pass to find Bragança in the area and, although his effortful shot was parried by goalkeeper, it fell to the feet of the forward, who controlled and scored.

And about ten minutes later, a handball by Lucas Áfrico inside the area resulted in a penalty being given, and Gyökeres converted well.

In the meantime, the home team’s only attacking attempt in the first half was smothered by Gonçalo Inácio, getting in the way of Mohamed Belloumi’s acrobatic shot. At the other end, before half time Quenda raced at full speed and finished a counterattack with a shot wide.

To start off the second period, a deflected shot from Gonçalves sent out a warning. Sporting CP continued to control the game, and made changes In the 63rd minute: Geovany Quenda made way for Nuno Santos, who made his first appearance of 2024/25 at the ground where he had been injured in preseason.

A curling shot from Trincão preceded two goals practically in succession: Gyökeres, in unstoppable form, burst into the box to smash home with his left foot, completing his first hat-trick of the season. Just a few minutes later, a free kick by Nuno Santos ended up with a cross that hit Lucas Áfrico and went into the SC Farense player's own goal.

For Sporting CP, Kovačević showed his reflexes to keep out a venomous cross close to goal, and from then on the show continued to be led by the visitors in attack.

Marcus Edwards, on as a sub, capped the scoring with a solo move and strike inside the far post. Gyökeres then had chances to make it 0-6 with his head and feet, but was unable to find the best placement for both shots.

Having collected a full nine points from three matches, Sporting CP now have O Clássico against FC Porto to prepare for, scheduled for August 31st at 8:30pm.

The coach is pleased with the comprehensive win over SC Farense

After the 0-5 victory away to SC Farense, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim analysed the game in his post-match press conference. He expressed his satisfaction both with the hefty scoreline and with the first clean sheet of the season.

"To win games you need to score goals, and we did that again. We had many opportunities. In addition to not conceding goals, we also reduced the number of opportunities from the previous game. Against CD Nacional we gave away a few and today less so: Just one or two", he reflected.

"We needed a game without conceding goals. I think we also missed out on some more goals. SC Farense went after the ball and we, with very strong players, made the game even more difficult for them".

Amorim then looked ahead to the next game, at home against FC Porto, highlighting that “each game has its own story".

“We won’t take much away from these two away games. The game in Alvalade will be completely different, because we’ll also be playing against a completely different team".

“We have nine points and a good feeling, and that helps prepare for any game," he added. "We’ll use the good mood we have to work hard. We will be observing a lot about what we did in the Super Taça and what FC Porto have changed in these last few games. We have to learn something from that".

The coach looks ahead to Matchday 3

Sporting Clube de Portugal travel to the Algarve this Friday for an 8:15pm kickoff against SC Farense, on Liga Portugal Matchday 3.

Ahead of the game, which will be played at the Estádio Algarve, coach Rúben Amorim acknowledged that his side expect “a lot of difficulties” against the team from Faro, recalling that in the last two seasons Sporting CP beat them at the Estádio de São Luís by the smallest of margins.

“It is always difficult to play in Faro, although the stadium will be different this time and that will help a bit, because the pitch will have the same dimensions as we usually play on, which will affect the game. I foresee a difficult game against difficult opponents, and against a coach who has been in Portuguese football for longer than all of us. But we want to keep winning and maintain our position”, he began by telling journalists.

“We know their coach, his way of working and the spirit he brings to the team. SC Farense's team have improved and they have different players, although it sometimes takes a while to change certain game routines. Filipe Soares is different from Mattheus [Oliveira] and has a different pace, but with that SC Farense have lost some characteristics they had and the team have to adapt. I think that now they have central defenders who build play better, and changing that way of playing takes some time”.

Amorim also warned that the team cannot relax after the 1-6 win in Madeira last weekend against CD Nacional.

“I foresee a completely different game to how we felt in the second half against CD Nacional. It was important to forget about that during the week. SC Farense are a very aggressive team, we played against them in preseason and we know their spirit. It is important to take that into the game and have that mentality. Then there are some things that we have to improve because, although the last result was very good, there are many things that we have to improve on”, he warned.

The coach also informed that Morten Hjulmand “is not yet fit for this game” and will not be travelling to Faro.

“We could risk using him, but we are not at that stage yet. We have players with different characteristics and we will miss Morten a lot. He is our captain, but we cannot risk it. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Ribeiro and Nuno Santos are back after injury and will both be called up".

The coach also emphasised the fact that the next game is against FC Porto will not have any influence on this match -or on the starting XI in the Algarve.

“This is the most important game right now. There is no squad management because there is no game in midweek and everyone wants to play. I have said it many times: The best way to prepare for the next game is to win this one, which is the priority. It is worth three points, like the next game, and the best team will be chosen for it. We will have a lot of difficulty in beating SC Farense".

When asked about the departure of Mateus Fernandes, who joined English side Southampton this week, Amorim acknowledged that he would have liked not to have lost the player, but stressed that this was a decision made in order to ensure that other squad members who play a fundamental role remain at the club.

“That is the idea, but we cannot guarantee anything until the transfer window closes. We have lost a young player with a lot of value, who has the characteristics to be a great player, but we have made choices. He was a player who was very hard for us to lose, but if you ask me if we can afford to lose [Gonçalo] Inácio or Morten [Hjulmand], I would say no, and if we have to hold on to Viktor [Gyökeres], I would say yes. We wanted to keep Mateus and I think he would also like to have stayed, despite the fact that it is a big contract and a big league. It was difficult for everyone, but we have to make choices".