The coach is ready for a tactical encounter on Liga NOS Matchday 11

Sporting Clube de Portugal head to the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras this Sunday, to face Belenenses SAD, on Matchday 11 of the Liga NOS season. In his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, coach Rúben Amorim indicated that his side maintain the same focus as always for the contest.

"It was a normal week, with a little bit later of a start than usual due to the date. It has been such an atypical year that nothing ever changes our thinking," he told the media on Boxing Day.

"What we always want is to win our games and play well. We won our last match, against SC Farense; we didn't have the best game, but we did more than enough to win. We learned from it. That reinforced the idea that all games are difficult and that we are taking things game by game."

As for Belenenses SAD, Amorim says that the similarities between the two sides make it a tactical encounter.

"They are a team who concede few goals. They don't score as many as we do, but they will be prepared for a Sporting CP team that is strong. We play similar systems and know their formation well."

Regarding the continued objectives for 2020/2021, Amorim underlined the idea he has had since the beginning of the season.

"What Sporting CP fans expect is that the team behave in the same way as they have been, which is giving their all. What I can promise is that we will do our best in every game and that the goal is to win them all. The game against SC Farense was proof that we have to think game by game. The players have little experience and all of our games are difficult. We want to beat Belenenses SAD and, if we do, we will remain in first place," added the coach.

"As for our tactics: The formation  always looks the same, but our way of playing changes. We change players here and there, and the way of playing changes completely as a result. Plata is playing in the same position as Pedro Porro and playing with one or the other is completely different for the opposition. The base has worked, but there are teams who defend very well and with many players. We won our last game due to belief and attitude."

There have been concerns about the potential risk of contagion with COVID-19 over Christmas in Portugal, but Amorim guaranteed that all necessary preventive work was carried out by the club.

"We have been very careful with the players. We alerted the players of the danger and the club did an excellent job. We prepared everything very well, but of course there are things that we cannot control. We had an outbreak here a few months ago. I was the only one on the coaching staff that caught it. The players know the rules and I think that, like all Portuguese people, they took extra care. I hope it is not necessary, but the club are prepared to contain any situation."

Belenenses SAD vs. Sporting CP is scheduled for 8pm local time on Sunday, December 27th, at the Estádio Nacional. Zouhair Feddal will be out of the match due to a knock, as will Jovane Cabral and Luiz Phellype as they recover from injury.

The fullback's buyout clause is set at 70 million euros

Sporting Clube de Portugal and Nuno Mendes have reached an agreement on a contract extension for the first team player, through to 2025. The new deal raises the fullback's buyout clause set to 70 million euros.

Speaking after signing his new contract, Mendes said: "I am very happy. It is a unique feeling to be able to renew my contract with Sporting CP. I am always willing to help the club, and that is what I intend to do here."

"I'm a hardworking player, who gives everything for the team. That's what you can always expect from me, because I will do my best for this club."

Still only 18 years old, Mendes has been part of the Sporting CP setup since 2011/2012, when he was 9. Now an Under-21s international for the Portuguese national team, he made his debut for the Sporting CP first team last season and continues to be involved in the squad, despite his young age.

"It has always been a dream of mine to play for the senior squad. Now that I am here, I have to do my best to continue alongside these players, and help the club to the fullest", he explained.

"I'm part of a good group that has responded well this season. We have to keep going, because this doesn't stop. I promise that there will be a lot of hard work from the team and also from me. Sportinguistas can expect me to give everything in every game and every training session."

'O Clássico' starts the Final Four stage of the competition

Sporting Clube de Portugal will face FC Porto in the semifinals of the Taça da Liga on January 19th, 2021, as the competition hits the Final Four stage.

The draw took place this Monday at the Liga Portugal headquarters in Porto. Rúben Amorim's side will take on FC Porto for the second time this season, after their previous meeting in the 2-2 Liga NOS stalemate at the Estádio José Alvalade. The other semifinal, between SC Braga and SL Benfica, takes place on January 20th, with the final on the 23rd.

Sporting CP and FC Porto have played one another in the Taça da Liga on four occasions; Os Leões winning 4-1 back in 2008/09, with the other three games ending in draws (Sporting CP triumphing on penalties). They were the two finalists in the 2018/19 edition of the competition, won by Sporting CP.

Reacting to the announcement, club representative Manuel Fernandes said that "The expectations are always the same. The four best teams in the country are playing in the competition, so it would be similarly hard whether we drew FC Porto, SL Benfica or SC Braga. Sporting CP have expectations for this cup and will try, with dignity , to overcome the brilliant team FC Porto have. That is our objective." 

The Final Four of the 2020/2021 Taça da Liga will take place at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa Stadium in Leiria.

Coach reacts to triumph against SC Farense

Following Saturday's victory over SC Farense, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim admitted that his side were not at their best - but considered the win a fair result.

“Today was not our best; there was not much inspiration, but there was hard work. We may not have had the quality in our play, but we had other things", he told the media.

"SC Farense lined up with a low block and created many difficulties for us. When that happens, when there is no inspiration and time starts to tick away, things get difficult. We ended up scoring from a penalty, and if there had to be a winner it would have to be Sporting CP, because we always held the initiative. SC Farense, with their weapons at their disposal, had an extremely competent performance, but we ended up being slim victors".

“We lacked some energy. We need a lot of energy and this team thrive on that. You depend on your talent, but also your energy, the way the players run during the game. The effort was there, but we lacked a little bit of energy and inspiration. We misplaced a lot of passes and lost balls when it was easy to make a pass. This made the game tough. Sporting CP lacked something. It happens, but the important thing is that we won anyway”, said Amorim, who also praised the showing by young striker Tiago Tomás.

“Tiago Tomás did well, but Sporting CP live off how the team play as a whole. Tiago tried hard and looked for space, but we were always missing something. We pushed SC Farense back, but we didn't create as much danger as usual. If there are not many opportunities, then the forwards feel it. Šporar came on with a desire to score, and that's how I want my players to be; they have to fight for their place. Tiago Tomás did very well against FC Paços de Ferreira and won his place, and now it could be Šporar's turn. This is part of the growth of the team", he concluded.

Injury time penalty against SC Farense maintains league advantage

A late goal from the penalty spot by Andraž Šporar handed Sporting CP a slim 1-0 victory over SC Farense on Liga NOS Matchday 10, as the team continue top of the table.

Os Leões had to adjust to two absences in their game against the newly promoted side: Jovane Cabral was unavailable for selection due to injury, whilst coach Rúben Amorim saw out the final fixture of his 15-day touchline ban incurred against Famalicão.

Returning to the squad and the starting lineup was Nuno Mendes, in one of the adjustments made for the Saturday encounter.

SC Farense were daring in the early going at the Estádio José Alvalade, and were even the first side to create danger, through former Sporting CP player Ryan Gauld. However, the home team soon imposed their own pace on the encounter -albeit without testing the opposition goalkeeper.

With more than half an hour gone and practically no opportunities created, the difficulties in penetrating SC Farense's defensive wall became increasingly noticeable, with the only two exceptions being Zouhair Feddal's header over the crossbar and João Palhinha's shot wide off a deflection.

Moments before the halftime break, Gauld had a half-chance for the visitors. The response from Sporting CP was a powerful Tiago Tomás shot from a narrow angle that slammed into the post. Neither side could break the deadlock, and the game went into the interval 0-0.

After the restart, a 52nd minute effort from November's Player of the Month, Pedro Gonçalves, gave the opposition cause for concern. SC Farense defended solidly, and Sporting CP decided to bring on Bruno Tabata or Nuno Mendes on 70 minutes. He came close off a devilish delivery in, which Rafael Defendi clawed out for a corner.

In the last 10 minutes, with time slipping away, Nuno Santos tried his luck from a free kick, but to no avail.

Finally, the winning strike came from a penalty, deep into stoppage time. Following a cross into the area, Rafael Defendi brought down Feddal, earning him a red card and Sporting CP a lifeline from the spot. Andraž Šporar stepped up to convert, with no time for a fightback from the visitors.

The hard fought win keeps Os Leões top of the table with 26 points. Next up for them is a game away to Belenenses SAD on December 27th.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Zouhair Feddal, Sebastián Coates [C], Luís Neto (Gonzalo Plata, 80’), Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, João Mário (Andraž Šporar, 80’), Nuno Mendes (Bruno Tabata, 57’), Pedro Gonçalves (Matheus Nunes, 90+3’), Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás (Gonçalo Inácio, 90+3’)

The coach previews a return to league competition against SC Farense

After wins in the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga, Sporting Clube de Portugal return to Liga NOS action this weekend against SC Farense. Ahead of the Matchday 10 contest, coach Rúben Amorim previewed the fixture against the newly promoted side from the Algarve.

"It's an historic game in our league that hasn't happened in a long time, but the important thing is to win. We know that they have a very good team in individual and collective terms. They have been improving a lot and already had a great performance at the Estádio da Luz, against Benfica", Amorim warned.

"They have shown good signs, but we want to keep on the path that we are on. We are in good form and all of the squad played this week, which was good and raised the level of the group".

Whilst several less frequently used players had the opportunity to show their skills, Rúben Amorim would not be drawn on possible changes to the attack.

"I had the opportunity to see the press conference with Sérgio Vieira, the coach of SC Farense, and he didn't reveal much about his defense either, so I won't say anything about our attack. We have all of our players ready, they have responded excellently and, as always, we will choose the best options for tomorrow's very tough game".

As for individual players, the coach said that Nuno Mendes will be in the squad, whilst Jovane Cabral is unlikely to feature. "He is making his recovery but he still has a small problem. We are taking great care of him, as he is an important player and we are waiting for him", assessed Amorim.

When asked if Sporting CP are the best team to play in Portugal, he replied that, whilst satisfied with present form, he believes there is still room for improvement.

"We are in good form, clearly, and the credit for that goes to the players. They are all in good form, but that can change from one week to the next. I think Sporting CP are playing very well, but that we can still improve too", he admitted.

"The players themselves are aware of the difficulty of each game and are very concerned with guaranteeing their place in the team, besides guaranteeing the spot in the table".

"We have to work with the young players to be prepared to play for Sporting CP. Above all, they have to be concerned with being prepared to win against SC Farense; that is the most important thing and it is our only concern", he concluded.

The Sporting CP coach was pleased by the cup performance by his side

Rúben Amorim reviewed the 2-0 win over CD Mafra in the Taça da Liga in his post-match press conference, praising the performance of some of the less frequently used members of his squad.

"I made life difficult for them, but they responded very well. Some did better than the others, but they all gave everything they had", he told the media.

"Everyone had positive points and should be congratulated, and in the future they will do even better," said the coach, emphasising that he was "satisfied with the result and the performance". "We played with some Junior players, and that comes with a price, but it's our idea. That means that the blame for the goalless first half is on the coach."

"The players weren't affected by the pressure; it's just a normal thing that happens when a lot of players who don't usually play together are in the same lineup. They have been training together and I thought they were prepared to play in a cup tie. The others played on Friday, and did very well, so I understood that it was time for them to get into the game and they gave an excellent response."

Amorim made clear that Sporting CP has "every possibility to win both cups". "We are ready to beat any team. In the league, we are taking things game-by-game", he said.

Victory against CD Mafra books the team's place in the January showdown

Sporting Clube de Portugal secured a spot in the Final Four of the Taça da Liga with a 2-0 win against CD Mafra, ousting the lower division side to move on in the competition. 

As expected, coach Rúben Amorim made plenty of rotations to his side, fielding a starting lineup of Luís Maximiano, Eduardo Quaresma, Gonçalo Inácio, Cristián Borja, Gonzalo Plata, Daniel Bragança, Matheus Nunes, Antunes, Tiago Tomás, Andraž Šporar and Pedro Gonçalves for the game at the José Alvalade. 

Up against them were a side fourth in the II Liga, who defended resolutely to keep Sporting CP waiting for the opening goal. In the first half, Šporar was denied by Carlos Henriques and then a defender as his two best efforts were sent away. Meanwhile Maximiano had a very quiet time, and the contest went into half time 0-0.

Nuno Mendes and Tabata would be brought on after the break to change things up, replacing Antunes and Tiago Tomás.

CD Mafra would become more ambitious in the second half, trying to threaten the Sporting CP goal -albeit without success. Gonçalves and Tabata efforts came closer, but both were off target.

Matheus Nunes was then withdrawn to bring on João Mário, and it was in that very minute that the team finally broke the deadlock. Šporar received a ball from Nuno Mendes from the left, after Daniel Bragança's precise pass, and finished past Carlos Henriques on 64 minutes.

The second goal would arrive just six minutes later: CD Mafra lost the ball, Plata took it to the byline and slipped past defender João Miguel, cutting it back to set up Tabata to take the score to 2-0.

The advantage was the signal for Gonçalves, Nuno Mendes to go off, with João Palhinha and Pedro Porro entering for the final quarter-hour.

Sporting CP continued to look for more goals, and Plata and Šporar both came close only to fall foul of the goalkeeper. In the end, a 2-0 win carried the team into the Final Four, which will be played between January 16th and 23rd in Leiria.

A place in the Taça da Liga semifinals is at stake on Tuesday night

Sporting CP's treble campaign continues on Tuesday with the quarter finals of the Taça da Liga, in which the team take on CD Mafra - currently fourth in the Segunda Liga.

Coach Rúben Amorim, who returns from suspension to occupy his place in the dugout, talked to the media about the cup contest in his pre-match press conference.

"It will be a tough game, because they will be coming here to show what they can do, with no responsibility - which removes a lot of pressure from the players. Nowadays, all teams have players who have experience in the youth ranks of big clubs, and CD Mafra are no exception. They are a team that don’t seem like a Second Division side. I say this because they are a team that like to play the ball, that have a lot of possession and will want to play good football”, said the coach after Monday training at Alcochete.

The pressure to reach the final four will be on Os Leões, something that Amorim is taking in his stride.

"We have this responsibility to be in control and dominate the game, and that's what we are going to do, but I think it will be a good match", he mused.

"The opponents are a very well organised team, with a lot of courage, but I think that also favours our game. We are in a good moment of form, and every time there is a game I'm excited about watching the team. That's the same for the fans. We go into this one with maximum pressure, which is all on our side. We have to live with it”.

Amorim will be without the injured Jovane Cabral and Luiz Phellype, but otherwise there is a strong side available for a competition that is being given importance by Sporting CP.

"The way we look at things is game-by-game anyway, but the cups really are like that. We are clear about one thing: We want to win the Taça de Portugal, we want to win the Taça da Liga and in Liga NOS we are going game-by-game, aware that we will have ups and downs throughout the season due to how young the squad is and the intensity that will be present. We have to prepare the whole group so that they are ready for whatever comes up," stated the coach.

"More than the results, our performances have been very good and we have improved in many ways, like in how we control the game and how we have pushed teams back. We dropped points in Famalicão - which shouldn't have happened because we had several opportunities to win -, then we had a great performance against FC Paços de Ferreira, in which we were much more effective. We want to win thi one, knowing that this decides who goes through in the competition. We want to go on to the final four”.

Less frequently used players like Tiago Tomás and Bruno Tabata took their opportunity against FC Paços de Ferreira, and will be in with a chance to start on Tuesday.

"It's a good time right now. Everyone trains and works the same way, and everyone is prepared”, Amroim emphasised.

"I am very excited because the team are responding well. This sequence of games forces us to rotate the team, which is good for the group, and we have to find opportunities to see other players. I am excited to see Tabata, Tiago Tomás, Daniel Bragança, Matheus Nunes and other players who have not had so many opportunities in action. I want them to be prepared because at Sporting CP it doesn’t matter who plays, it’s always mandatory to fight for victory - and that’s what we’re going to do”.

Sporting CP triumph 3-0 at home to progress to Last 16

Sporting Clube de Portugal booked their place in the Last 16 of the Taça de Portugal on Friday night, beating FC Paços de Ferreira 3-0 at home through goals from Tiago Tomás, Bruno Tabata and João Palhinha.

Without Jovane Cabral through injury and Pedro Gonçalves through suspension, coach Rúben Amorim - also suspended for 15 days due to his sending off against FC Famalicão - opted to field Nuno Mendes in the starting lineup, as well as bringing in Bruno Tabata and Tiago Tomás.

Amidst light rain at the Estádio José Alvalade, the game started at a low pace, with several stoppages for fouls in the opening minutes. 

After two initial chances from Pedro Porro and then Sebastián Coates, the first goal of the match arrived on 26 minutes. Nuno Santos headed a masterful assist for Tiago Tomás to provide a precise finish past the Paços de Ferreira goalkeeper for his fourth goal of the season.

Despite a reaction from the visitors, who came close to equalising through João Amaral, Sporting CP continued to dominate, and extended their advantage just before half time. After threatening moments before, Bruno Tabata ducked into the central channel and delivered an arching shot that found its way into the net. The great goal was the first for the Brazilian in official appearances for the club.

After the break, the match became more intense and FC Paços de Ferreira came out more boldly, but it would be Sporting CP who would strike again, in the 64th minute. Following João Mário's free-kick, João Palhinha headed in to make things even more comfortable on the scoresheet.

Before the end there would be chances for Tomás and for substitute Gonzalo Plata, but at the final whistle the score remained 3-0, seeing Sporting CP through to the next round of the Taç de Portugal.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán, Luís Neto (Gonçalo Inácio, 85'), Sebastián Coates, Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, João Mário (Andraž Šporar, 72'), Nuno Mendes (Antunes, 68'), Bruno Tabata ( Matheus Nunes, 72'), Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás (Gonzalo Plata, 85')