​The Sporting CP coach prepares for the game against FC Famalicão

Sporting Clube de Portugal host FC Famalicão at the Estádio José Alvalade on Sunday, on Matchday 21 of the Liga Portugal season.

In the lead-up to the match, coach Rúben Amorim warned that Os Leões have not yet managed to beat this weekend's opponents in the league with him in charge, and rejected the idea that the players are already thinking about the upcoming game against FC Porto.

“This is the most important game, not least because we haven't won against FC Famalicão yet and we know the quality of their players. They have a new coach, with whom they are conceding far fewer goals, and they play with a line of five that includes Ivo Rodrigues dropping in, which then moves to a line of four,” the coach began by saying in his pre-match press conference.

“As for the game against FC Porto, the best way to go to the Estádio do Dragão is off the back of a win over FC Famalicão. That's what we want to do, in a very difficult game. We want to maintain our way of playing and our dynamic, and improve compared to the game we played against them away from home. We will treat this game like another final."

Amorim will be able to use the entire group, including the returning Islam Slimani, who is part of the matchday squad.

“I didn't know him well, but he's better in his link-up play than I thought. He has to get back into the rhythm of things, because he has only played a few minutes recently, but he's already in the squad because he has different characteristics to our other forwards. I am very satisfied with him; he has integrated easily, and we are lucky in that regard, but at the same time we already had this information from everyone here at Sporting CP. I am very pleased to have Slimani in the group,” he assured, without clarifying whether the Algerian international would enjoy minutes on Sunday.

“It depends on the game. I don't know if we're going to need Slimani or another player, but he's an option. He won't be a starter."

Asked about possible rotations, due to the fact that Ricardo Esgaio, Pedro Porro, João Palhinha, Pedro Gonçalves and Pablo Sarabia are all at risk of missing the Clássico with FC Porto if they receive a yellow card against FC Famalicão, Amorim stated that now it was not the time to be thinking ahead.

“We have solutions for every position. The most important thing is that we get to the game at the Estádio do Dragão with a maximum difference of six points. If a player can't play there, then he won't, because we have to win a very difficult game and we haven't been able to beat FC Famalicão. Therefore, we will not keep any player in reserve. We are able to win games with any starting XI,” he underlined.

​The forward rejoins the club for a second spell

Islam Slimani has returned to Sporting Clube de Portugal, six years on from the end of his first spell at the clib. The Algerian forward has put pen to paper on a contract through until 2023, and was presented officially on Thursday afternoon.

“I've come back because the fans like me and because the club like me. For me, that's the most important thing in football. I missed Sporting CP, the fans and Alvalade, so the decision was very easy. It feels very good to be home,” Slimani began by saying.

“It was at this club that I was happiest. Sporting CP is my home, I feel good here and I'm happy here."

He will once again be Sporting CP's No.9. Since leaving Alvalade the first time around, he has played for Leicester City FC, Newcastle UFC, Fenerbahçe SK , AS Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais.

Slimani will be reunited with some teammates with whom he has already played, such as Sebastián Coates and Ricardo Esgaio, and he commented that “It was great to see them and Paulinho again. I'm back to help the team and the club."

“Sporting CP play very good football. I know the club well and I also know the style of play used by the coach, Rúben Amorim."

At the age of 33, the forward, who scored 57 goals in his first spell at the club, says he is in top form.

“I hope to score many goals. I am a more experienced Slimani and, in my opinion, a better Slimani than the first time around."

​The coach responds to the 1-4 win against Belenenses SAD

After the 1-4 triumph over Belenenses SAD, coach Rúben Amorim analysed the match and praised Sporting CP's performance.

"We had several chances and should have scored more goals. What makes me more satisfied is that the team didn't let up, even after the satisfaction of winning the Taça da Liga. The players know that every game is difficult, but we made the game easy."

"At 0-2 up, we conceded an unavoidable goal and then Adán stopped a one-on-one. Other than that, we had many opportunities, we controlled the game well, we went into the break 1-3 up and that goal gave us some peace of mind," he told journalists in his press conference.

"Afterwards, we killed the game off and maintained a good pace, but we could have scored more goals. It was a deserved victory, and the players knew how to interpret what needed to be done."

Asked about the possible effects of the competition up front between Islam Slimani and Paulinho, Amorim stressed that "it is good for the team", before heaping plaudits to the forward for his performance against Belenenses SAD.

"Paulinho has known that Slimani was a possibility for more than a month. He was the first person to know. He is very grown up and he knows the confidence I have in him. Slimani has come in because we need a different player and it is good for the team. Paulinho was very good in his link-up play, scored two goals and the fans are behind him."

Speaking about the debut of Marcus Edwards, he noted that "He will adapt to our team. He can play on the wings or closer inside, if we want more involvement there. We had a lot of possession and I decided to bring Edwards on. He's an intelligent player and he's got his debut out of the way now. He has felt the affection of the fans and now he has to work hard because the other players are in very good form."

Finally, Amorim  addressed the performance of Pedro Gonçalves. "I like that he feels pressure, because he plays better that way. Every time we say he's not involved, he scores. The way he plays and presses, he is a very important player even without scoring," he concluded.

​The team win a Wednesday night game in Jamor

Carrying over their momentum from the Taça da Liga, Sporting Clube de Portugal returned to winning ways in Liga Portugal by beating Belenenses SAD 1-4 on Wednesday night. In a display of offensive quality, goals from Paulinho (x2), Pedro Porro and Pablo Sarabia earned a third consecutive triumph for the team, this time at the expense of the league's basement side.

For the match at Estádio Nacional, in Jamor, coach Rúben Amorim introduced Porro, Nuno Santos and Manuel Ugarte into the starting XI, at the expense of Ricardo Esgaio, Matheus Reis and João Palhinha, who had begun the Taça da Liga final. On the bench, new signing Marcus Edwards made his first appearance on the squad list and would go on to accumulate his first minutes for the club.

Sporting CP's right side showed a hint of what was to come with a pair of initial attacks, before the opening goal of the game arrived from that channel: A combination between Porro and Sarabia saw the winger, who was already inside the area, serving up a pass to Paulinho. He finished without difficulty for his seventh league goal of the season.

Moments later, Adán safely grabbed a dangerous low cross, in what was a half-opportunity for Belenenses. Before the first 20 minutes had elapsed, Porro received square on and, without hesitation, struck hard from distance for a great goal.

However, the dominant start from Sporting CP would be challenged immediately through a goal by Abel Camará, who got Belenenses back into the game. From there, the pace increased and the number of dangerous shots multiplied.

Sarabia couldn't quite finish off a masterful pass from Matheus Nunes and, at the other hand, Adán got the better of a sudden one-on-one with Abel Camará.

After the half hour, Pedro Gonçalves had two excellent opportunities, but shot off target from both, with Zouhair Feddal's subsequent header from a corner another opportunity that went unconverted.

Sporting CP's third goal would finally arrive in first half stoppage time: After having been denied by goalkeeper Álvaro Ramalho, Sarabia went on to drive in a cross from Nuno Santos.

The masterclass would continue in the second half, which began with Sporting CP's fourth goal. Free inside the box, Paulinho responded to a perfect cross by Porro and headed in for his second of the night.

Amorim decided to ring the changes to a team that had played two games in a short period of time, taking off Porro, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Gonçalves and Nuno Santos, bringing on Gonçalo Esteves, Daniel Bragança, Bruno Tabata and Rúben Vinagre in their places.

Comfortably in front, Sporting CP held onto possession and were untroubled in defence. The coach saw fit to hand Edwards his debut in place of Sarabia on 71 minutes, allowing fans to see the new signing in action.

Whilst there was no change in the dynamic before the final whistle, Os Leões enjoyed several chances. However, the score remained 1-4 at full time, with the team reaching 50 points in Liga Portugal.

On Matchday 21, Sporting CP host FC Famalicão, in a game scheduled for 8:30pm local time on Sunday.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Nuno Santos (Rúben Vinagre, 58'), Zouhair Feddal, Gonçalo Inácio, Luís Neto [C], Pedro Porro (Gonçalo Esteves, 51')., Manuel Ugarte, Matheus Nunes (Daniel Bragança) , 51'), Pablo Sarabia (Marcus Edwards, 71'), Pedro Gonçalves (Bruno Tabata, 58') and Paulinho.

The coach looks ahead to the game against Belenenses SAD

Having won the Taça da Liga, Sporting Clube de Portugal returns to Liga Portugal action when they face Belenenses SAD on this Wednesday. In his pre-match press conference, coach Rúben Amorim warned that despite their playing against the team bottom of the league, "there are no easy games."

"We know that in order to maintain our position and to try to climb the table, we have to win our games. We are in good form, but the team are already used to that and we have also had some slip-ups this season, so we will face this game like we did the final in Leiria. We have some doubts about the way Belenenses SAD will perform, but there are no doubts about the way we will approach the match. We have an obligation to win. We will make alterations, because we believe that this is the best way to maintain intensity in the way we play."

With the winter transfer window closed, Amorim addressed the club's movement in the market, highlighting the return of Islam Slimani and the arrival of winger Marcus Edwards.

"Slimani is a different kind of striker, not least because our team has changed a little bit. We play very high and we have had many games in which we have put in several crosses and lacked a presence in the area. More than once, we have been without [Sebastián] Coates and we have missed him in our aerial play. In addition, Slimani is a player who has come in at zero cost and is within our reality, because he knows the club very well. He is 33 years old, scores and is intense in his pressing. We felt that he was a good solution for the team. He can be a target man who will help us to win games. and I hope that he's happy here."

As for the Edwards,  who joins from Vitória SC, Amorim admitted that Sporting CP's interest was longstanding.

"We had interest in him since last year and it didn't happen. This time it was possible and the player was very keen to come. It is important that he is joining now, because he is very introverted and I know it will take time for him to get to know his colleagues. He has very good characteristics, is very strong between the lines and good one-on-one. He will adapt well; there are many young players here who speak English, so what we hope is that both players adapt to a project that is not only short-term."

The coach said that Edwards will be in the squad on Wednesday, but that Slimani would only arrive in Lisbon the morning of the game.

Amorim also commented on the departures on loan of Tiago Tomás and Jovane Cabral.

"Tiago Tomás' leaving is a step that is about the characteristics of the game. He was missing out because we were losing many metres up front, which previously benefited his characteristics, and Jovane simply had an opportunity to leave. I wish them the best, and they were part of a great group that helped Sporting CP to become champions."

He also made a final statement about the focus on Wednesday's match: "Pedro Porro is one of the options to play, but that doesn't mean he'll be in the starting lineup. We have [Gonçalo] Esteves and we can put a winger there, but we will see. I will choose the best XI for the game, because we really have to beat Belenenses SAD."

The winger joins on a four-year deal

Sporting Clube de Portugal have signed Marcus Edwards from Vitória SC, on a deal running through to 2026. The 23-year-old English winger's contract has a buyout clause set at 60 million euros.

Edwards was presented on Tuesday at the Academia Sporting in Alcochete, and gave his first statements about the move.

"I'm very, very happy. It's a big day for me, my family and my friends. I'm just happy to be here. This is the biggest club in Portugal, so this is massive for me," he told the club media.

"The club has a great manager, a good system, a good team and good players. I'm grateful that the coach, Rúben Amorim, believes so much in my qualities. Everyone knows what a good coach he is, so I'm excited to be able to work and develop with him," he said.

Having already played at the Estádio José Alvalade as a visitor, he praised the stadium for its atmosphere.

"It's a big stadium. Whenever I have played there, i just wanted to play well because it's an excellent ground. Now it is my home stadium. I'm very excited to play for the Sportinguistas, and I am looking forward to it."

Brought through the ranks at the Tottenham Hotspur youth system, 23-year-old Edwards has been capped by England at Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 level. He made his first-team debut for Tottenham before being loaned out to Norwich City and Dutch side SBV Excelsior Rotterdam. In 2019, he was signed by Vitória SC, and scored 20 goals in the 96 games he played for them.

The Sporting CP squad talk about the trophy win

After the Taça da Liga win, Sporting Clube de Portugal's players celebrated on the pitch and gave their reactions to Sporting TV.

Ricardo Esgaio: "It's another trophy for the club. That's what we want. We have won the Taça da Liga again and we have to continue with this mentality. That's what we did, and with this support everything is easier."

Pablo Sarabia: "I'm very proud of the team, as we played a very complete game. It was difficult to start with, but we had character. I'm very happy to have been named Man of the Match, but the most important thing is the trophy and being able to enjoy it with our fans."

Pedro Porro: "It hasn't been an easy time for me, but the support of the team and the fans has always made me feel good. I want to come back little by little. We have worked hard and I want to dedicate this trophy to our captain [Sebastián Coates], who couldn't be here today."

Dário Essugo: "We always want to win. The game was difficult, but we managed to turn it around. As the coach says, it's important that we on the team grow through Sporting CP winning trophies, and these players are an example for us."

Manuel Ugarte: "It's incredible, I'm very grateful to Sporting CP for my first trophy. It's been fantastic. It was a demonstration of mentality and overcoming adversity. After the winning goal, I went onto the bench, and it was amazing to watch from there for a few minutes."

Zouhair Feddal: "I am very happy, congratulations to all Sportinguistas. Together we will achieve great things and I am very happy here. Nobody gets tired of winning, and I have no words to describe what it means to win four trophies in a year and a half."

Gonçalo Inácio: "This team make us so proud. We have a strong unity between us. Now it's time to enjoy this moment. We want to continue working and evolving."

Matheus Reis: "It's a trophy that makes us believe. This always gives more confidence ahead of what's to come. We're going to stay focused and we're an ambitious group. I'm very happy for the praise that we have received, and we have to believe in the process and in our work. I'm happy to help the team win more trophies. The fans are incredible."

Tiago Tomás: "This has to be our mentality. It's a derby and the feeling is different, but today I believed that we would win the trophy. I'm grateful for all the support from the fans."

José Marsà: "I'm very happy to have won this first trophy. The fans were with us to the death, and I want to play these kinds of games one day too."

Flávio Nazinho: "I feel accomplished, I can't even explain it. I just want to celebrate and enjoy the moment. The trophy provides extra motivation."

Rodrigo Ribeiro: "We're very proud. I can't explain what it means to be here with this group. We will continue to work to achieve more things like this."

João Palhinha: "I am very happy and this group deserves these achievements. The goal by SL Benfica was tough to swallow, as it appeared at a time when we were the better side. We turned things around and we did it thanks to the sacrifice made by this team. It is worth highlighting the effort that we made: This team always believes that anything is possible. Our fans were the only ones that you could hear during the 95 minutes, and thanks to them we were able to win this trophy."

Antonio Adán: "Winning was our objective and we were very much the better side throughout the game, even turning the scoreline around. We are really happy to be able to celebrate with our supporters. Our daily work is important and this group is strong, We are very hungry. It is spectacular to experience a final in a stadium like this. Last year it was not possible to have the fans in the stands, and now we feel their impact from very close up. They are always a great source of support."

The coach's reaction to the Taça da Liga win

Following Sporting Clube de Portugal's Taça da Liga triumph in Leiria, Rúben Amorim spoke at the post-match press conference to reflect on the trophy win.

The coach began by emphasising the impact winning trophies has for the project at the club.

"In addition to the trophies, which are important, the way the team played after two defeats it was important. In these moments, we feel how fragile things are around the club, despite the fans never tiring. We need trophies, victories and to have people who know what Sporting CP are all about. This is a very important trophy, just like it was last year. It is important to win titles to solidify what we are doing," he told journalists.

"I am completely aware that this changes very quickly. This little moment we had was difficult for everyone in the squad. With our win over CD Santa Clara and what happened today, we gave the answer. I don't take anything for granted. It's very important for our club to keep our feet on the ground. We cannot deviate from what we are doing," he said.

About the game itself, he denied that any type of strategy focused on counterattacks was in place.

"The idea is always to have the ball and recover it quickly. We were playing against SL Benfica, who like to have the ball and have good players in one-on-one situations. We don't play the game alone and there are several phases in the game, but I think we were always on top, whether pressing or with the ball in our possession."

"We are in the title fight and we are through to the knockout stages in the UEFA Champions League, and sometimes it's difficult to understand that. Our identity was never in question and we always gave the same response. There might be teams that in Portugal perhaps play better, but nobody has a greater identity than than ours," stated the coach, who also established the objectives for the remainder of the season.

"We have to win our games and then we'll see. We have to focus on all competitions and on what we have to do."

Pedro Porro returned from injury and came on in the second half, and was decisive in providing the assist for Pablo Sarabia's goal. Amorim did not hide that the winger "is very special" for the group, but also singled out the work of Ricardo Esgaio for praise.

"Porro has specific characteristics and creates a very good atmosphere. I want to highlight [Ricardo] Esgaio's work. A lot of people talk about Porro, and he gives the answer."

Asked about his connection to Sporting CP, he admitted that "it is totally different from what it was in the past."

"Everyone knows what my club was before, and Sporting CP fans know that there are things that we are born with, that we don't control. I grew up on the 'other side,' but of course I have a completely different connection to Sporting CP. Maybe my son will be different because of the connection he has. Sporting CP are very important to me. I chose to be at Sporting CP and I wouldn't trade it for any club, because of everything that they have given me and the way the fans believe in me. I will never say that I have been a Sporting CP supporter since I was little, but my connection to Sporting CP is very strong," he stated.

Sporting CP win the cup with a 1-2 victory over SL Benfica

Sporting Clube de Portugal became Taça da Liga winners for the second consecutive season, beating SL Benfica 1-2 in the final. A turnaround in Leiria saw the team fight back from 1-0 down to win 1-2, Gonçalo Inácio and Pablo Sarabia scoring the goals in the comeback.

It was the fourth Taça da Liga won by Sporting CP, all of which have come in the last five seasons.

Rúben Amorim made a trio of changes for the match from the semifinal against CD Santa Clara in midweek, as Zouhair Feddal, Matheus Nunes and Paulinho were incorporated into the starting XI.

The Sportinguistas in attendance in the stands helped the team begin the game well, winning two corner kicks in the opening minutes and seeing more of the ball. They controlled the pace of the contest against their cross-town rivals, whom they had already beaten in Liga Portugal earlier this season.

Gonçalo Inácio, working in the centre of the defence, stood out for his excellent passes that split the opposition defence, and the first danger provided arose when a cross from Matheus Reis almost surprised goalkeeper Odysseas. This was followed by an arching shot wide by Pedro Gonçalves.

However, against the run of play, SL Benfica made it 1-0 in the 23rd minute. Everton was put through one-on-one with Antonio Adán and finished off the chance.

Sporting CP then responded with a header by Gonçalo Inácio, saved by Odysseas. Pablo Sarabia then tried to surprise the Benfica goalkeeper from long distance, but without success. Both would have their moment in the second half, but the scoreline at the break remained in their opponents' favour.

After the restart, the equaliser came at a crucial moment. In the opening minutes of the second half, Sarabia sent in a corner and Inácio popped up with an accurate header,  met with an explosion of joy in Leiria by the Sporting CP fans.

In the 65th minute, Paulinho headed over off a counterattack and, soon after, the returning Pedro Porro came on to replace Luís Neto. Paulinho came even closer to scoring with a chance that hit the crossbar, off a pass from Matheus Nunes.

With the threat of a penalty shootout looming, the winning goal was scored in the 78th minute. A brilliant pass from Pedro Porro found Sarabia through on Odysseas, and the No.17 finished off with tremendous class.

Manuel Ugarte, Nuno Santos and Tiago Tomás were brought on in the closing moments, as the clock ticked down. The final whistle was received with elation from the players, as they claimed their second piece of silverware of the season.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Luís Neto [C] (Pedro Porro, 66'), Gonçalo Inácio, Zouhair Feddal, Ricardo Esgaio, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes (Manuel Ugarte, 84'), Matheus Reis, Pablo Sarabia ( Nuno Santos, 88'), Pedro Gonçalves and Paulinho (Tiago Tomás, 88').

​Sporting CP play a cup final against SL Benfica on Saturday

Last year's Taça da Liga winners, Sporting Clube de Portugal have the opportunity to retain the trophy this season, when they take on SL Benfica in the final on Saturday at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria.

In a press conference ahead of the game, coach Rúben Amorim spoke at the Estádio José Alvalade about what was at stake.

"We know that we are a big club that have to win trophies. We've reached a final and anything can happen tomorrow, but I am very confident that we will win. Whatever happens, we have the other competitions still to play, and winning wouldn't change anything; the trophy would go into the club museum and we would go on to prepare for the rest of the competitions," he began by saying, before underlining that this match will be "totally different from the Liga Portugal game" between the two teams, which ended with Os Leoes triumphing 1-3.

"The game there was very difficult and we killed it off when we had to. Now they have a different coach, with different ideas, and the most noticeable difference is the formation: They have used a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 recently, and the dynamic is also different. We have made the same preparations, but it won't be an easier game. It all depends on who's inspired on the night. It's a totally different game than in the league, there is a trophy at stake and that motivates all of the players."

Asked about potential moves to be made by Sporting CP in the winter transfer market, Amorim was once again emphatic, stating "I'll be here in a few days to explain all of the situations."

Pedro Porro and Daniel Bragança have been declared fit for the game, in a boost for the coach, who reiterated the focus required on Saturday.

"It doesn't matter what has happened; the pressure is on both sides and, for me, it's even more on us due to the fact that we have won more trophies in recent times. We have an obligation to win the game tomorrow and that's what we're going to try to do: Bring another trophy back to Alvalade."