Jorge Jesus with the press ahead of Sunday's derby

Jorge Jesus was in the press room at Estádio José Alvalade this afternoon to share his thoughts ahead of the weekend’s much awaited derby.

“What we should be focusing on is the teams and the match. There is no point in speaking about anything else right now. We are at the top of the league and we want to defend that”, opened the Sporting coach, before going on to speak about comments made by former referee Marco Ferreira and requests made by the president of the Refereeing Council to favour Benfica.

“We have had more than enough time to prepare for this game. We know each other a lot more than we did compared to when we played in the Supercup. We are feeling really confident right now with the work we have been doing and the team is more than ready to take on a tough opponent on their own turf”, added Jesus, going on to stress that Bryan Ruiz’s place in the squad will only be decided in the morning.

Responding to a comment a journalist that Sporting hasn’t won in Estádio da Luz since 2006, curiously largely due to Jesus, the Avalade boss affirmed: “What matters is that this is Sporting’s second derby with me as coach. We won the first one and we are focused and ready to win the second. Benfica, as I well know, is a team that has six years of my work. Sporting has three months of my work and we want to carry on building on that.”

Finishing with a comment on incidents off the pitch in the build up to the derby, including the publication of players’ phones numbers in a blog associated with Benfica, Jesus said: “The lads are used to this sort of thing before games. All that matters is that we don’t attach any importance to it , because confidence is really important for the group.”

Benfica-Sporting will get underway at 17h00 on Sunday, in Estádio da Luz.

SL Benfica vs Sporting CP

Sporting Clube de Portugal requests that all fans and Organised Fan Groups departing from Estádio José Alvalade to Estádio da Luz arrive on time at Avalade for a 13h30 departure.

It is important that the three thousand Sporting fans attending the game arrive in time for kick-off.

SL Benfica – Sporting CP will kick off at 17h00 on Sunday the 25th of October.

Please note that the clocks go back 1 hour on Sunday morning.

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Sporting forward in UEFA team for Europa League matchday 3

Sporting youngster Matheus Pereira has been included in UEFA’s Team of the Week for Europa League matchday three, after scoring two goals in Sporting’s 5-1 win over Skënderbeu in Estádio José Alvalade.

Matheus burst onto the scene last weekend with two strikes on his debut, helping sink Vilafranquense in the Portuguese Cup third round.

Europa League Team of the Week: Hitz (Augsburg); Gönül (Fenerbahçe), Lacroix (Sion), Bailly (Villarreal); Toulalan (Monaco), Hofmann (Rapid Vienna), Etxebarria (Athl. Bilbao); Gabbiadini (Napoli), Luís Leal (Belenenses) and Aubameyang (B. Dortmund).

Pedro Silva

Sporting Clube de Portugal, Futebol SAD has reached an agreement with the athlete Pedro Silva for the renewal of his contact until 2022, with a buy-out clause of €45,000,000.00.

Sporting SAD wishes Pedro Silva the best of professional and personal success.

In his first interview after singing the deal, Silva was in a proud mood: “To hope for anything better would have been difficult. It has been a fantastic year and although I am still in the youth system I have been playing regularly for the B team. Sporting works really well with young players and teaches us about hard work and education. The club has always told me to work hard at school.”

The shotstopper went on to speak about the differences between playing in the youth leagues and defending the Sporting goal in II Liga: “It is more intense with the B team, with more experienced players. At the beginning I felt like nobody really knew me, but I have been getting experience and more confidence.”

Ivanildo Fernandes

Sporting Clube de Portugal, Futebol SAD has reached an agreement with the athlete Ivanildo Fernandes for the renewal of his contact until 2022, with a buy-out clause of €45,000,000.00.

Sporting SAD wishes Ivanildo Fernandes the best of professional and personal success.

After renewing his contract, the defender, who arrived 2014 after spells with Estrela da Amadora and Casa Pia affirmed: “I am really happy. It is a sign that I have been growing as a player and a person. I hope this is the first of many contracts. I arrived as part of the youth teams two years ago and I have really grown up a lot. I have improved in a lot of ways and everything is going well. Sporting has really helped me to improve as a player and to be more responsible.” ​

Rafael Leão

Sporting Clube de Portugal, Futebol SAD has reached an agreement with the athlete Rafael Leão for the renewal of his contact until 2018, with a buy-out clause of €45,000,000.00.

Sporting SAD wishes Rafael Leão the best of professional and personal success.

After putting pen to paper, the 16-year old forward proved satisfied with the opportunity: “I feel really happy and proud right now. It is thanks to my coach, teammates and especially my dad. It is a special feeling, because I have been here for seven years now and I want to carry on. Seven years later, I feel tougher and I take things more seriously. Everything is changing and I am getting older. I am really happy and I love playing football.” ​

Domingos Duarte

Sporting Clube de Portugal, Futebol SAD has reached an agreement with the athlete Domingos Duarte for the renewal of his contract until 2022, with a buy-out clause of €45,000,000.00.

Sporting SAD wishes Domingos Duarte the best of professional and personal success.

Speaking after penning the deal, the defender, who arrived at Alvalade, proved ecstatic with the opportunity to represent his much-loved Sporting.

“I am really happy. I have always been a fan and Member of this club. You can expect dedication and work from me to earn the confidence put in me”, said Domingos Duarte, before reflecting on his time with the captain’s armband in place of the injured Riquicho: “We are all in contact with Riquicho and he is passing on a lot of his experience to us. It is a tough period for him, but we are here to help. Both me and Sambinha have taken on the role of captain and everything is going well.”

In parallel, the Alvalade youngster commented on his career so far: “Like any player at Sporting I want to get into the senior team as quickly as possible and to get back into the national team.”

Fourth round draw sets up Lisbon derby

Sporting will host Benfica in the Portuguese Cup third round, on the 21st or 22nd of November (subject to alteration).

This will be the 35^th time the two Lisbon giants face off in the Portuguese Cup, with Sporting holding a slight advantage (17 wins to Benfica’s 15).

“A draw is a draw and we have to accept it. It will be a good show, like it always is between these two clubs. We still have a lot of games until this one”, said Sporting’s director of football, Octávio Machado, speaking at the draw.

Draw in full:

Farense (II)-Sp. Braga (I)

SPORTING-Benfica (I)

Trofense (CPP)-Académica (I)

Nacional (I)-Cova da Piedade (CPP)

Malveira (CPP)-Feirense (II)

Benfica Castelo Branco (CPP)-Gil Vicente (II)

Desp. Aves (II)-União (I)

Fafe (CPP)-Penafiel (II)

Portimonense (II)-Belenenses (I)

P. Ferreira (I)-Rio Ave (I)

Casa Pia (CPP)-V. Setúbal (I)

Boavista (I)-Operário (CPP)

Arouca (I)-Desp. Chaves (II)

Caldas (CPP)-Estoril (I)

Angrense (CPP)-FC Porto (I)

Amarante (CPP)-Marítimo (I)

Jorge Jesus happy with his side's display against Skënderbeu

Speaking with the press after his side's comfortable win against Skënderbeu (5-1), Jorge Jesus was evidently happy with the season's first three Europa League points.

“The game wasn't how I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting so many goals. We knew we could win this and that is what we were looking to do, but the lads surprised me with five goals and some good play. Obviously the sending off in the first-half conditions the rest of the match and makes it a bit easier, but we naturally created chances and played some good football", opened Jesus, before speaking in more depth about some individual performances.

“Our first objective was to win, which we did. Our second was to play well, which we did. Our third was to give some of the lads some time on the pitch, which we did. I won't focus just on  Matheus Pereira, who is making the most of his chance. Bruno Paulista also looks good and Gelson as well", added the Alvalade coach, continuing: "Of course this is a win that keeps us in the fight to qualify. We knew we had to win and we will have to do the same thing in Albania so we have something to play for against Lokomotiv and Besiktas."

With the Lisbon derby just around the corner, Jesus doesn't see his side as holding the edge, despite having rested some of his big guns: "A team that plays on Thursday won't be any better rested on Sunday than a team that played on Wednesday. A team that plays on Thursday cannot prepare, because it is only two days until Sunday, while a team that plays on Wednesday has that extra day. I believe in my players and I took a gamble on them, but of course we wouldn't be saying the same thing if it had been a different result. As a coach I have to take chances and that sometimes involves a few risks. A derby is always different and you can't look too much at how the two sides are playing. We will be up against a strong team, but we are strong too and we want to win this one."

Sporting puts five past Skënderbeu for first Europa League win of the season

Sporting claimed a first win in this year’s Europa League campaign on Thursday night, with a 5-1 thrashing of Skënderbeu courtesy of a brace from Matheus Pereira (his first goals in European competition) and goals from Aquilani, Montero and Tobias Figueiredo.

The gulf in class between the two sides was laid bare right from the opening whistle, with Shehi being tested in the visitors’ goal from almost the first kick of the encounter when Montero turned well and put a ball across goal that the Skënderbeu keeper did well to collect. Seconds later, Jonathan Silva tried his luck with his off foot following a corner, but Shehi stood firm.

Some good movement and collective passing had the Albanian visitors struggling and on 14 minutes Mané was picked out by Aquilani at the edge of the box, but the Portuguese international drove his shot straight at the keeper. Two minutes later Montero looked to have done everything right after rounding the keeper, but Vangjeli scrambled back to clear off the line and André Martins failed to capitalise on the rebound.

Jesus’ side continued to press and Carlos Mané could have finally opened the scoring in the 18th minute after a cross from Esgaio, but his header was denied by another save from Shehi. It was never going to be an easy night for the Albanians, but the task was made all the more difficult with the sending off of Salihi on 23 minutes for a second bookable offence for a needless handball.

Despite being a man up, Sporting actually eased up in attack and a long spell of possession ensued, but with few chances on goal. In fact, it wasn’t until the 37th minute that the team from Alvalade finally bagged a deserved opener, when Montero was impeded in the area by Jashanica and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Up stepped Aquilani to slot away and give his side a more than fair lead. Two minutes later, Montero was again fouled in the area, this time by Vangjeli, and it was the Colombian himself who took the honours this time to make it 2-0.

Half-time did little to take the sting out of the Sporting attack and on 48 minutes the hosts could have went three up, but Shehi pulled off a double stop against Montero and the follow up from Matheus. Snowed under wave after wave of attacking football, Fatigue began to set in for the struggling Skënderbeu and Matheus Pereira obliged with a first European goal of his career with a header in the 64th minute that Shehi was helpless to stop.

Three-nil up, Sporting sensed a heavy scoreline and began to turn the screw in attack. Tobias Figueiredo made it four with a header following a free-kick guided in by Montero, before Jesus introduced Slimani, Gelson Martins and William Carvalho into the action for André Martins, Mané and Aquilani. To round off what was already a memorable night for the young forward, Matheus scored his second brace in a week with a shot across goal to grab Sporting’s 5th.

The Albanians did manage a late consolation goal through Jashanica, fairly applauded by the 20 thousand Sporting fans who had turned out for what was a completely one-sided showing.