Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on Saturday's hosting of Estoril

“We want to carry on in first and we will do everything possible to defend that”, opened Jorge Jesus in a pre-match press conference on Friday, ahead of his side’s hosting of Estoril.

Coming into the encounter on the back of a moralising 3-0 away win against Benfica, the Sporting coach warned caution against the weekend’s visitors: “We know we will be playing against one of the strongest teams in the league. They have quality players and they will cause problems for us. We have been working hard during the week to be ready and we don’t underestimate anybody, especially Estoril. We have identified certain targets, such as Bruno César, who was my player and he is strong from dead ball situations.

“As soon as you go clear at the top of the league, you become a target for the teams that are fighting for that position. There is still a long way to go, but we want to be at the top of the league for as long as possible”, added the Sporting coach, finishing: “We are hoping that the fans turn out in force. It is for them that we work hard to give them quality and something to be happy about week in week out. We have scored 17 goals and only conceded two in the last four games, which I am obviously happy about and it shows the work we have been putting in.”

Sporting-Estoril will kick off on Saturday at 20h45, in Estádio José Alvalade.