The coach feels his side can return to winning ways against FC Famalicão

Sporting Clube de Portugal host FC Famalicão on Sunday, on Matchday 26th of the Liga NOS season. Ahead of the game at the Estádio José Alvalade (8pm local time), coach Rúben Amorim gave a press conference in which he commented on the opposition's positive recent form.

"We are starting to get used to welcoming teams in good form. They have been getting good results and having good performances. The coach has had a great impact on the team. They have young players of great quality who just came out of a bad run, and they have built up a lot of confidence. It is up to us to make the game more to our way of playing. We are at home and we want and need to win -which is what we will try to do", he told journalists at the Artur Agostinho Auditorium.

Regarding the possible pressure that comes with playing after Sporting CP's direct title rivals, Amorim played down any concern.

"The important thing, for me, is to play. It doesn't matter whether it is after or before the other teams. With this game, we can reach the important milestone of the club's longest unbeaten streak. We want to win the game. We are having an excellent season and we are still improving. Whether you agree or not, my understanding is that the team are improving. Now we have to win again. Our fate is in our own hands, and that is our focus", he said.

For the coach, Sporting CP have been doing very well in several phases of play, but need to get better at creating opportunities on goal.

"The players are very strict in everything they do. We are a young team and we may not be as sharp as we were before, but the opposing teams have had almost no chances against us. At the beginning of the season, the other teams used to give us more space at the back -and we used that space a lot. Now we don’t have it. Now we control the games very well. We need to improve our creation of opportunities, but the control of the game is there. We dominate the games, and the rest will come with time", continued the coach, who talked about his squad selection for Sunday.

"Nuno Mendes, who was injured in the last match at Moreirense FC, is ready and is part of the squad. Gonçalo Inácio and Bruno Tabata took a couple of knocks and will not be available for the game, but will be back next week."

As for the role of title favourites, Amorim closed by saying that "Sporting CP's squad must keep calm. The responsibility lies with the coach. Sporting CP are doing things the way they need to be. Thus is a very big club, taking its project forward. We have to win our games and we don’t have to worry about anything else", he explained.

Rúben Amorim got the Sporting CP squad ready for Sunday's game

The Sporting Clube de Portugal squad put in an intense training session on Thursday at the Academia Sporting in preparation for their next Liga NOS match, which takes place against FC Famalicão on Sunday at 8pm local time.

The contest takes place at home, at the Estádio José Alvalade, and is a chance for the team to get back to winning ways after a late goal denied them victory away to Moreirense FC this past Monday.

For the session, only Nuno Mendes was unavailable, having picked up a knock in the match at Moreira de Cónegos.

Os Leões will hold another workout on Friday morning, at 10am.

The Sporting CP coach felt his side deserved more against Moreirense FC

Following Monday's Liga NOS match against Moreirense FC, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim told the media that he believed the 1-1 draw was less than his side deserved.

"We could - and should - have scored a second goal. We even had the ball in the net, but it was disallowed by a question of centimetres. Then at the end, off a cross, the ball was left loose for a Moreirense FC player, who scored a great goal", he explained.

"I think we had a good game. We improved in certain aspects and we dominated possession. Moreirense FC had practically only one chance, when Rafael Martins was left on his own after a deflection off Feddal, but from there we were always in control of the game. We deserved a different result", he added, refuting that Sporting CP took too many risks.

"It's our way of playing. We tried to open the opposition up and create more space. We got that space and enjoyed several opportunities, but we were unable to score. The game lasts until the final whistle, and from one opportunity Moreirense FC got their goal. We even created more chances than in other games, but what happened tonight is what sometimes happens in football: A team get one chance and score."

Amorim also praised Paulinho, who scored his first goal for Sporting CP. "The performance he had today, even before the goal, proves that he is a mature player and that he is prepared for pressure. He knew the weight that being a Sporting CP player carries, and he is a player that we really wanted and that the team needed. A striker lives on goals, but he has the ability to do many other things, such as linking up the attack, defending and helping with set pieces. He will grow with the team and the team will grow with him."

Finally, the coach played down any possible negative effects of the draw and looked confidently to the future. "It is always better to win, but there are nine games to go and that’s our thinking; the players don’t have to worry about anything else. We had a good performance and we deserved to win, but this happens. Many points will be dropped before the end of the season. This game is in the past and now we take on FC Famalicão, who have not been losing lately and are very difficult opponents. There is nothing better than playing opposition like that to provide a response", he concluded.

On course for victory, the team concede late in Moreira de Cónegos

A late equaliser by Moreirense FC denied Sporting Clube de Portugal the three points on Liga NOS Matchday 25, as they drew 1-1 on the road. Paulinho's maiden goal for the club appeared to be enough to earn Os Leões the victory, but Walterson's finish in the 90th minute meant that the spoils were shared.

With his entire squad available for selection on the first game back after the international break, Rúben Amorim brought Sebástian Coates and Paulinho back into the starting XI and kept Daniel Bragança in the team.

Although Moreirense FC had the first chance of the game, Sporting CP's control of possession became increasingly effective. It was rewarded by a goal on 21 minutes, as Bragança sent in a cross and Paulinho met it with his head; whilst that attempt was kept out by Pasinato, the striker himself followed up for his first official goal for the club.

At a disadvantage, Moreirense FC began to play in a more daring fashion, pressing higher up the pitch. That left them vulnerable to counterattacks, however, and Paulinho had the ball in the net again in the 45th minute -only to see it disallowed for offside.

Matheus Reis had come on in place of the injured Nuno Mendes just before the goal was ruled out, playing the final minutes of a first half that ended 0-1.

The second half started energetically, with plenty of battles for the ball. Sporting CP created danger with a João Palhinha shot from distance, and then Pedro Gonçalves became the second player to have a goal disallowed for offside.

Tiago Tomás was eventually introduced in exchange for Daniel Bragança, adding to the attack, and the visitors were always closer to scoring than conceding. In fact, inside the final ten minutes Zouhair Feddal was centimetres away from doubling the lead.

Seemingly on course for victory, Sporting CP were surprised by an attack scrambled in by Walterson, and there was no time for a response. The game ended 1-1 in Moreira de Cónegos.

Sporting CP remain unbeaten in Liga NOS and top the table with 65 points, 8 ahead of nearest rivals FC Porto. Their next game takes place on Sunday, April 11th, against FC Famalicão.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán [GR], Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates [C], Zouhair Feddal, Pedro Porro, João Mário, João Palhinha, Daniel Bragança (Tiago Tomás, 60'), Nuno Mendes (Matheus Reis, 39'), Pedro Gonçalves (Matheus Nunes, 86') and Paulinho.

Rúben Amorim speaks before the game against Moreirense FC

After the two-week international break, Sporting Clube de Portugal returns to Liga NOS action this Monday. They face Moreirense FC in Moreira de Cónegos, and Rúben Amorim is not predicting an easy game - as he explained in his pre-match press conference.

"They will be a bold side. Their coach [Vasco Seabra] likes to play good football; he has players who have been at big clubs in his squad and that helps when facing these games. The game against them at the Estádio José Alvalade saw them create some problems for us, but we were clearly the better side. Moreirense FC are doing very well, but we are also in good form", he told journalists.

Amorim stated that the aim for matchday 25 is "to continue to improve and win the game". "I hope it will be a great game, but even if it isn't, I hope that Sporting CP win", he added.

Os Leões were held to a draw the last time they visited Moreira de Cónegos in Liga NOS, last season, and it began a dip in results. However, their coach played down any effect this might have on his team.

"They are different seasons. Last season, Sporting CP failed to get points against the big sides, whilst this year it's the other way around: we haven't lost yet. We have to look at things both ways. We are more prepared and have a more balanced squad; there is no comparison whatsoever and there is no fear at all."

Sporting CP's position at the top of the Liga NOS table has inevitably attracted interest in their players from other European clubs, but Amorim doesn't fear heads being turned.

"This interest is to the players' credit. I am happy for them, but Sporting CP players are already playing for a big club. There are still many games to be played, and everything can change from one moment to the next. Sporting CP players are aware that what happens today could be different tomorrow. The success of the group makes these players grow, and when a team are doing well all the players must be valued."

Asked about Nuno Mendes in particular, he commented: "Nuno Mendes is not prepared to leave either this year, nor the next, nor the year after that. Maybe five years from now he will be ready to leave Sporting CP (laughing)."

"We want to keep the best players, but the market is a law unto itself. We know that we have to sell, but we are only thinking about getting the win against Moreirense FC. Nuno has a buyout clause and is happy here, so there is no concern. We are calm about that."

The squad are back from a break to prepare their next game

The Sporting Clube de Portugal squad enjoyed two days off earlier in the week, but have been back in training as of Wednesday.

Welcomed back to the group was Nuno Santos, who undertook a full session after shaking off an injury.

Those players away on international duty returned to Lisbon on Thursday, to begin preparations for a trip to Moreira de Cónegos. Sporting CP play Moreirense FC on Matchday 25 of the Liga NOS season next Monday night.

The Brazilian talks to club media about his adaptation to Sporting CP

Bruno Tabata arrived at Sporting Clube de Portugal at the beginning of the season from Portimonense SC with high expectations, and some of those are already coming to fruition. The winger spoke to club media during the international break to express his happiness with the way things are going at the club.

"When you see it from the outside, you have an idea of what a club is like - and the one that I had of Sporting CP was very good. Now, being here and experiencing it, it's even greater than I had imagined. My expectations have already been exceeded", he explained this past weekend.

The Brazilian has played 19 games and scored twice, as part of a team who have yet to lose a single game in Liga NOS this term.

"The secret is the spirit within the group", he says. "We have a very close-knit group. The season is long and everyone has their individual goals, but we all put the collective first. There is a great mix of experience and youth, which is very important in all groups and very evident in our squad. We have very experienced players and very young players, but they all have the same objective, which is to help the collective. Our results are the fruit of that", he added.

The philosophy, so successful so far this season, is unlikely to change any time soon, states Tabata. "We cannot think differently to going game-by-game. What brought us this far was that. We just don't say it for the sake of it; we really live it every week and every game. We are not looking five games ahead, and the most important game is always the next one to be played."

"My only regret is not having been able to play in front of the fans. Their support has been fantastic. It is a pity that we cannot feel their warmth at the stadium, but their support on social media and when we travel has been incredible", concluded the winger.

Liga NOS' Coach Of The Month prize presented at the Academia Sporting

Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim joined Sebastián Coates and Antonio Adán in receiving recognition for the club's success in the month of February, as he was named Liga NOS's Coach Of The Month.

"I dedicate this award to my players, to the club and to my coaching staff, as they are the reason for this distinction," said Amorim upon being presented with the award on Thursday.

Sporting CP's 5 wins and 1 draw, as well as 9 goals scored and just 1 conceded, were masterminded by the 36-year-old coach, who -appropriately enough- received 36.60% of the votes.

The Spaniard is named Goalkeeper Of The Month for the third time

For the third time in succession, Antonio Adán received the Liga NOS Goalkeeper Of The Month award for February this Wednesday.

“Once again, I want to thank all the coaches who voted for me as the best goalkeeper for the third month in a row. It is an honour to receive this distinction again, taking into account the quality of the goalkeepers who are currently playing in Portugal. I also want to thank my teammates, who contributed a lot to this award,” said the Sporting CP shot-stopper.

Adán received 31.37% of the votes, beating off competition from Matheus of SC Braga and Léo Jardim of Boavista FC in second and third place, collecting 13.73% percent and 9.15%, respectively.

The Spanish goalkeeper played six games in Liga NOS in February, and kept a clean sheet in five of them.

The captain is recognised by Liga NOS peers

Sporting Clube de Portugal captain Sebastián Coates was presented with February's Liga NOS Defender Of The Month award on Wednesday, receiving the prize at the Academia Sporting.

The Uruguayan racked up 29.41% of the votes from coaches around the Portuguese league, ahead of teammate Pedro Porro (8.5%) and Pepe of FC Porto (7.84%)

“Thank you very much to everybody who voted for me to win this award. I also want to thank my teammates for their help. It is an honour for me to win Defender Of The Month. I hope to continue like this," said Coates.

Playing in a total of six domestic games in the month of February, Coates was his typical solid presence in defence and also scored two goals - both against Gil Vicente FC.