The coach previews the second leg against FK Bodø/Glimt

Sporting Clube de Portugal will face FK Bodø/Glimt this Tuesday at 5:45 PM, in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.

In a pre-match press conference, Rui Borges guaranteed that the team fully believes in the possibility of overturning the result from Norway -and reinforced his desire to continue making history for Sporting CP.
 
Continuing to make history
"I truly believe we can do it. I said this right at the end of the game in Bodø. I know the difficulties will be great, but I have great faith in the individual and collective resilience that this team have demonstrated throughout the season. One game won't define us. The team have shown that they really want to project a different image and demonstrate that we are capable of continuing to positively make a mark on Sporting CP's history, doing something unprecedented and extraordinary.

We know we have to have an almost perfect game, and we will strive for that. The team’s ambition is enormous, and they have demonstrated this from the very beginning, from the first day I arrived at Sporting CP."

Support from the fans
"As Pedro [Gonçalves] was saying, the affection and belief that the fans have shown has been fantastic. If there's a team capable of achieving great things, due to our resilience and responsiveness, it's us. If there's a stadium where extraordinary things can happen, it's ours, and that's largely thanks to the strength provided by our fans. Tomorrow they will certainly be extraordinary as well, so that together we can write another positive chapter in Sporting CP's history."

Luís Guilherme's availability
"Unfortunately, yesterday in the last part of training he suffered a knock. He's being evaluated and we'll see if he can contribute."

A possible contract renewal
"I have a contract until 2027. I'm happy here, and focused on doing something extraordinary together with my players. They deserve it more than anyone."

Fan dissatisfaction with the showing in Bodø
"It's natural. We're at a big club, the demands are enormous, and we really want to keep winning. Neither they nor we were happy, but if we weren't the best in the world for beating PSG, then we're not the worst for one other less successful game. It doesn't erase everything we've shown."

Possible tactical variations from the opponents
"Very honestly, I don't think they'll change anything. That's why I said they didn't surprise me, because we knew very well what they are capable of doing. They’ve won not only against Sporting CP, but against other teams that are contenders to win the competition. They are a truly capable team and in that sense they didn't surprise us. What surprised us was that we weren't able to provide a different response.

It has a lot to do with the intensity with which we do things, individually and collectively, and we weren't able to have the right intensity to neutralise Bodø. We're already halfway through the tie, but there's no point in lamenting anything. We need to see what we weren't able to do and why. We did that over the last few days and we want to give a different response tomorrow. With that resilience, that ambition I was talking about, we'll have to be even more courageous and daring. We'll go for goals, I believe we will score, but we can't concede. We are aware of the difficulty and the dangers we will have to face. The game is 90 minutes long. We will always have the same intensity, but we have to be prepared for all moments that occur in the game."

A lack of ambition in big games
"These are interpretations and opinions. I don't live by statutes, I live by my work. My work speaks for itself. I'm at Sporting CP because of all the competence and work that we, as the coaching staff, have demonstrated.

I would answer with several stats: In offensive terms we are the best team in the league. In Europe we should be too, and at home we are very strong. We finished seventh in the league phase when nobody believed it could happen. As I said, I wasn't the best in the world when we beat PSG, I'm not one of the worst for us losing to Bodø."

Criticism of the postponement of the league game
"The regulations are the same for everyone. We only exercised the right we had. That's all. The idea was to have some rest time, especially since we were coming from games with a high degree of demand, with considerable physical and mental strain."

"It will be a completely different game. It will require more audacity from us, which will expose us at times, but I also know that the players' belief is so great that they will give a fantastic response against a great side, who in terms of intensity of play are one of the best I have ever seen as a coach."

The quality of FK Bodø/Glimt
"They deserve credit for being in the Round of 16 and for winning against teams that are contenders to win the tournament. They deserve to be seen as a great team, capable of competing against any opponents. Football is becoming increasingly demanding individually and collectively, and they keep up with this required intensity. Therefore, at this level, they were one of the best teams I have seen as a coach. Their physical capacity is extraordinary."