Sporting CP coach previews Taça da Liga 'Clássico'

A 'Clássico' between Sporting CP and FC Porto takes place this Tuesday in the semifinals of the Taça da Liga, kicking off at 7:45pm local time at the Estádio Municipal de Leiria. Coach Rúben Amorim addressed the media before the Final Four of the competition got underway, stating that his team are ready for the challenge ahead.

"The last two games saw two results that we were not used to. The team are very committed and focused in training. I haven’t seen the same joy from them, which is a good sign, but the team continue to believe in the process and are confident. They are ready for the next game, which is important because it is the semi-final of the Taça da Liga," he told journalists at the Auditório Artur Agostinho.

"In terms of experience and maturity, at this moment in time we are clearly behind FC Porto, but youth can compensate in other aspects," he stated. "We have a confident team despite the last two results, and we are in first place in the league, so the players are ready for this game."

Asked about positive COVID-19 cases in the FC Porto team, Amorim insisted that the opposition will be as strong as ever.

"We had cases just last week. The clubs are prepared for this. FC Porto will always field a great team, with a lot of experience and international players. Only those who don’t know the coach, the players and the club would think that it will be easier because one player or the other isn't available", he said.

"They will be a great side. The players already know each other. Sérgio Oliveira has a lot of influence in the game, but reducing FC Porto to Sérgio Olvieira would be a mistake. I expect a strong and aggressive team, strong in space and between the lines, with Corona creating problems in that regard. Uribe will be pushing to get into the area and the wingers will be attacking. Pepe must have played more Champions League finals than Inácio has games as a starter in the Primeira Liga. We will have to suffer, play hard and try to win the game. It is very important to face a game with FC Porto with the maximum aggressiveness."

Amorim continued by saying that "We want to bring the Taça da Liga back to Alvalade. The group needs these games to understand that the DNA of Sporting CP is about winning trophies. I want to win a trophy as a coach of Sporting CP, as do the players."

Before the press conference, João Pedro Araújo, director of the Sporting CP medical department, explained to journalists that Andraž Šporar and Nuno Mendes’ positive Covid-19 tests had in fact been false positives.

"Both tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday, January 13th, through a PCR test. Sporting CP have always complied -and will always strictly comply- with the protocol plans, having implemented measures such as daily internal screening," he said.

"Two more PCR tests were performed in two other different laboratories: One on Friday 15th, and the other on Saturday 16th. Both results were negative, so it can be concluded that the results that preceded the match against Rio Ave FC were false positives."

"The Sporting CP medical department wish to make it very clear that we recognise the immense value of these tests in combating the pandemic. The probability that the test is positive and the person is not infected is less than 1%. It is quite rare."

"It is with regret that we registered this error because, as everyone knows, it was a mistake that meant the coaching staff missed two members of the squad for the match against Rio Ave FC. Finally, I thank the health authorities and the laboratories for their collaboration and quick response, and hope that the players will be available for tomorrow's game," stated the doctor.

'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.

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.