Jorge Jesus on Wednesday's CTT Cup showdown with Setúbal

Speaking with the press before Wednesday's final CTT Cup Group A encounter, Jorge Jesus relayed his confidence in securing the result needed to get into the semi-finals.

"We need the result to get into the final four and well all know that. We have two wins and we need another result on the way to the final, which is what we have been working on in training. We are feeling confident and the lads have been responding well during the week. It will be a hard game, but we feel we will get over this hurdle", affirmed the Sporting coach, adding: "Vitória de Setúbal also have a chance of qualifying, although it depends on the other match, but we have everything we need to get a good result. This is an important phase for us and we are battling on all fronts, but that is exactly where we want to be."

Sales news for the CTT Cup and Liga NOS

Sporting Clube de Portugal has begun ticket sales as follows:

VITÓRIA DE SETÚBAL (CTT CUP MATCHDAY 3)

. Exclusive for Sporting Clube de Portugal members
. Member fee applicable: December 2016
. Tickets priced at 7.5€ and are for the South Goal End
. Kick-off is at 20h15 on the 4th of January, in Setúbal

FEIRENSE (16ª JORNADA LIGA NOS)

. Tickets from 5€ (members) or 17€ (fans)
. Member fee applicable: December 2016
. Match included in Gamebox 2016/2017
. Kick-off is at 20h15 on the 8th of January, in Estádio José Alvalade

Estádio José Alvalade ticket offices will be open from 10h00 to 20h00.

Jorge Jesus satisfied with his side's performance but is looking for better finishing

A satisfactory performance with some spells of attractive football, despite a frustrating number of wasted chances on goal. That is how Jorge Jesus saw Friday's CTT Cup win against Varzim, which projected his side to the top of Group A.

Last match of 2016 sees Sporting CP tally three more points in this season's League Cup campaign

Sporting Clube de Portugal took control of CTT Cup Group A with a 1-0 win against a stubborn Varzim side this Friday night, courtesy of a 19th minute strike from Gelson Martins.

Jorge Jesus started the encounter with Luc Castaignos and Bas Dost leading the attack, while Gelson Martins dropped out right and Joel Campbell roamed down the left, leaving Adrien Silva and William Carvalho to occupy the heart of midfield. Sporting CP's setup actually fitted in well with the lower league visitors' 4x3x3 formation and both sides were able to play open football for extensive periods. The difference on the night was an unstoppable strike from Gelson Martins, after he burst into the box to link up with Ricardo Esgaio and fire a shot into the roof of the net.

Despite the narrow result, Sporting CP dominated for the full 90 minutes, limiting Varzim to just a handful of attacks and giving Beto an easy night between the Alvalade posts.

Squad list for CTT Cup Group A matchday 2

Jorge Jesus has announced his squad for CTT Cup Group A matchday 2, getting underway at 21h15 on Friday the 30th of December:

26 – Azbe Jug
34 – Beto Pimparel

3 – Lazar Markovic
4 – Jefferson Moreira
7 – Joel Campbell
10 – Bryan Ruiz
11 – Bruno César
13 – Sebastian Coates
14 – William Carvalho
15 – Paulo Oliveira
16 – André Felipe
19 – Douglas Teixeira
20 – Luc Castaignos
22 – Elias Trindade
23 – Adrien Silva
28 – Bas Dost
47 – Ricardo Esgaio
77 – Gelson Martins

Jorge Jesus looks ahead to Friday's CTT Cup encounter

Agreement with Kobe for the transfer of Junya Tanaka

Sporting Clube de Portugal – Futebol, SAD has reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of the economic and sports rights of the player Junya Tanaka with Kobe, with a 50% sell-on clause.

Sporting SAD wishes Junya Tanaka the best of personal and professional success.

More than 5500 fans attend open session in Estádio José Alvalade

The Sporting Foundation took the lead in promoting a charity training session this Wednesday, with the professional football team being put through their paces in front of 5500 fans in Estádio José Alvalade. The fans responded in kind to the gesture, contributing 8000 presents for those most in need.

"Thank you for participating today, as part of the Sporting family. Happy holidays and a happy new year", said coach Jorge Jesus to the fans after the session.

Alvalade beach soccer legend, Madjer, was also in Alvalade. "We made a point of bringing a little something along today. Attitudes off the pitch are what make the difference", said the beach soccer skipper.

Tickets offered to Gamebox holders for CTT matchday 2

Friday (30th of December) will see Sporting host Varzim on CTT Cup matchday 2.

2016 was the new Estádio José Alvalade's best year, with an average of 43,281 fans attending 19 Liga NOS matches. A fantastic 87% of capacity!

The year will also be remembered for some other fantastic achievements:

OLYMPIC ATHLETES | Biggest ever participation, with 32 athletes in 9 sports in Rio de Janeiro

CLUB MEMBERS |more than 152,000, which is in the world top 5

SPECTATORS FOR A SINGLE MATCH | 50,046 for Real Madrid CF (new stadium record)

TRANSFERS | Sales of João Mário to Inter Milan for 45M€ (5M€ in objectives)

To thank the fans, especially those who bring life to Alvalade and are Gamebox holders, we are offering tickets for CTT Cup matchday 2 to Gamebox holders. All you need to do is collect your invitation from the club's official website or ticket offices. Tickets are also available for Club Members from 6€ and from 9€ for fans.

. Only Stand A will be open
. Children under the age of 3 are prohibited
. Children over the age of 3 (inclusive) require a ticket)
. Member Fee applicable: November 2016
. Gates open: 19h45

Estádio José Alvalade ticket offices will be open from 10h to 20h.

Alvalade boss on Fernando Santos' nomination as 2016 National Coach of the Year

Sporting CP boss Jorge Jesus personally issued his congratulations to Fernando Santos this Tuesday for the Portuguese coach's nomination as National Coach of the Year 2016 by the International Federation of Football History.

"I want to congratulate Fernando Santos for his nomination as National Coach of the Year 2016 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. It is more than deserved, it is fair and it proves what I have been saying for years: Portuguese coaches are the best in the world", said Jesus.

Fernando Santos was actually Sporting CP's coach for the 2003/2004 season.