The coach looks at the Taça de Portugal game against FC Porto

Sporting CP face FC Porto in the first leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals on Tuesday night. On the eve of the match, coach Rui Borges previewed the encounter in his press conference.
 
The approach to the first leg
“It’s another Clássico, against a good side who are top of the league. These are always very competitive games, and sometimes they are more strategic -that’s part of the fixture. It’s two legs and this is the first ‘half’, in which we want to win. That will always be our objective. We’re up against a good team that will certainly come with that ambition as well. We are playing at home, we really want to win and take a step ahead in the tie. We will have to do a lot for that.”

Fotis Ioannidis' situation
“He is a doubt for the game. It’s still very much a day-to-day thing and we have to see how he feels.”

The penalty awarded for FC Porto near the end of the match against FC Arouca:
“For me, it might not have been a penalty, but the referee decided that it was. I'm not going to talk about refereeing decisions here, nor about incidents from other games.”

The strategic side of 'big' games
“Sometimes it’s not about fear, but about respect. The teams know that each team have their own way of playing, their strengths, and whilst using your own strategy to win, you have to protect yourself from the opposition’s strength. It’s natural that in some moments the game becomes more strategic. Football is changing, becoming more dynamic and increasingly thoughtful. I believe it will be a good game, with two competitive teams who want to win -using their strengths and at other times wanting to neutralise the other side. I think it’s natural, and 'big' games end up having some extra element of strategy. It’s not about not wanting to lose, but about what the game requires and the respect that exists on both sides.”

The cup
“We are focused on what we can do against FC Porto to be in the final, which is our objective. We want to defend the cup we won last season.”

Upcoming important games in other competitions
“I'm not looking at the SC Braga game, I'm looking at tomorrow's game, which is an important fixture. We want to take a solid step on the road to the final. I'm only focused on the game against FC Porto. I believe there might be one or two changes, both for us and for the opposition, but I don't believe there will be many.”

João Virgínia playing in goal
“I never said who is the starting goalkeeper in this competition. They are all prepared to play, whether that’s Virgínia, Calai or Rui. For me, there are no goalkeepers for a specific competition; they are Sporting CP goalkeepers. The moment, the strategy, the opponents, everything counts towards the coach's decision-making on this.”

Pedro Gonçalves and Zeno Debast 
“Pedro is [fit] and Debast is too. Debast started training a few days ago, having been out for a long time, and his condition will still not be the best to help the team to the fullest.”

Needing to be clinical in attack 
“We never deviate from our game plan, regardless of the opponent. In some Champions League games where we don't have as much possession, we might play in lower blocks than usual, but we never deviate from our main idea of what to do with the ball, and tomorrow will be no different. We will face the team that have the best defence, who defend in a compact, competitive way, and are very strong in duels and transitions. Offensively, they also have well-developed specific movements and can quickly get into the final third. We have to be prepared for that, and very balanced, like the game at Dragão, where we allowed them little or no chances to be created. The goal is to try to be ourselves, making better decisions to overcome a team that defend very well. We will also have to be very committed and rigorous in defence.”

The favourites in the game
“In these games it’s always 50/50, whether we’re playing at home or away. Of course, I ask our fans to once again make the difference, with their energy and strength, for us to win the game. Regarding what happened in the last derby, that’s not what will motivate us to have a great game. What motivates us is defending a cup that we won last year. For me, the cup final is very special, as I said last season.”

Increased mutual knowledge of each other
“It’s natural that as time goes by, the teams know each other better and are increasingly better prepared. Even so, they are still special games. These two teams want to win this trophy; in the league we are in the top two places, and therefore, the passion of the game can cause a loss of concentration. This can be costly because there is a lot of quality on both sides, and some individual inspiration can decide these games. They are always very competitive meetings, and tomorrow will be no different.”

The planned change for cup semi-finals to return to single-leg fixtures
“I’ll say it’s positive, because I come from a background at lower-level teams. It means they can have the opportunity to play at home and take advantage of that against stronger opponents. They have the opportunity to dream, and I also dreamed of achieving special things in that situation.”

Differences compared to the first Clássico at Alvalade
“Very honestly, I think the teams aren’t going to be very different, but the game will be. The moment is different, the individual form of each player makes the team different, and it’s a different phase of the season, with more fatigue, and that can also be a factor. As for the team’s identity and strategy, I don’t think it’s different. Given the way things are now, it could go either way.”

The players missing for the game 
"Giorgi Kochorashvili and Ricardo Mangas are both unavailable."