Sporting CP host Gil Vicente FC on Sunday (8:30pm)

Back at the Estádio José Alvalade, Sporting Clube de Portugal face Gil Vicente FC this Sunday in the antepenultimate matchday of the Liga Portugal season.

On the eve of the match, coach Rui Borges gave a press conference to look at the vital game for the team's title challenge.

Focusing exclusively on Gil Vicente FC
“We always look only at the next game. There’s no point in looking to the future or the past. We’re focusing on Gil Vicente FC, a team who have won their last two games without conceding a goal, are motivated and have almost guaranteed their place in the top flight for next season. They’re coming into the game calm, scoring more goals away from home and haven’t lost in their last three road games. We have to be alert, serious and focused, which is what we’ve been doing in the last few games. We’ve grown at every level and now we want to keep that up -and always demand a little more.”

Morten Hjulmand being one yellow card away from a suspension
“Morten and Matheus [Reis] have been talked about a lot during this week, because they will be ‘in the running’ for the derby and are called up for this game. That’s all I can say. They are in the squad and available. I’m not going to say which team I will field, because I’ve never said that. It’s a decision that’s up to us, as a coaching staff. We’re going to try to compete and win the game, regardless of who plays. We’re talking about Sporting CP players, who are aware of what they can and cannot do and who they are.”

A draw guaranteeing Gil Vicente FC's survival
“Above all, I believe that Gil Vicente FC will come here to play the game calmly. Their coach [César Peixoto] has said several times that he likes attractive football, so they are a team who like to play and have the ball. They are certain to stay up. They need a point to achieve that mathematically, but they have practically achieved it already. I think they are a team that come into this one without that pressure and we have to look at what Gil Vicente FC have been like before. Defensively they have been more cohesive and we have to find a way to overcome that barrier, regardless of whether it is a medium, low or high block.

Not yet looking to the derby
“In the coach’s mind, there’s only Gil Vicente FC, and in the players’ minds I believe that is the case as weel. That’s the response they’ve given. It’s all up to us, and the most important game is the one against Gil Vicente FC. If we’re focused on the future, it’s going to cost us dearly. At the moment, every game is decisive.”

Possible options for the game
“I will think about tomorrow’s game and, above all, about the confidence I have in the group. There are players who are returning, like Morita and ‘Pote’, who are important and are only getting better at the moment. They are players I trust and who we also need. Of course, we look at everything and it is important to look at all the factors that exist in a game. There is internal communication and we will make the best decision for tomorrow’s game. I'm completely calm, because we will play with 11 players. Back in the first game we played in Barcelos, we had Zeno [Debast] and [Alexandre] Brito in midfield and we won.

The importance of goal difference in a possible title tiebreaker
“It could be decisive, but in my mind it’s about winning, because that way we won’t need the goal difference. It would only depend on us.”

The “good energy” at the club
“The team are focused, are thinking about Gil Vicente FC, are motivated and have great energy. This is felt in the game, along with the energy that our fans have given us. I never tire of saying that they have been fantastic. Tomorrow, Alvalade will be sold out and I hope that the support will be the same as it has been up to now.”