Jorge Jesus' pre-match press conference on League Cup visit to Portimonense

Speaking in an exclusive press conference with Sporting TV, Jorge Jesus set out his plans for tomorrow's League Cup Group C visit to Portimonense. For the Alvalade boss, Portimonense's matchday 1 upset of Arouca (4-1) is a sure sign of the dangers posed by Tuesday's hosts.

“The game is important for this competition. Portimonense won their first match and if we are the same on points then goals will matter. Portimonense will try and make this game decisive in qualification for the next round. Our objective is to win tomorrow and everything will be in our control if we do. It will be a hard game and we will have to show the maturity to deal with some of the harder moments in the game. We will be facing a team from II Liga, who are fighting for promotion", affirmed Jorge Jesus, continuing: “All clubs who are taking part in this competition what to get as far possible. League Cup finals are important financially and they are games played with a lot of quality and passion. It is a competition that is not only important in terms of competition in the squad, but also because it brings games to regions in Portugal that don't have that many. They love football in the Algarve and it will be a great match. Our Supporters' Clubs in the Algarve will have a chance to meet the team too."

Confronted with a question on his usual tactic of squad rotation in the League Cup, the Sporting coach highlighted the progress being made across the squad to due the extra playing time: “The match against Tondela has nothing to do with tomorrow. We will go to Portimão with the players who are best fitted to get the win. A lot of those who played against Tondela will go to, with the exception of Adrien and Gelson Martins, who picked up a few knocks. Marvin will make his debut. He has adapted well. You can see he is still getting to know the squad, which is normal, but we have to give him the chance to show what he can do. Almost the entire squad plays in the team now, okay some more than others, but we don't have a fixed pattern. We have a very flexible team and by choices are always related to the quality I have in the squad."

Marvin's favoured position and Teo's fitness were also touched upon by the Alvalade chief: "Marvin was picked as a left-back. We let Jonathan go, because we really believe in him. He is only 21 years old and he needed to play, so we looked for a solution in Portugal. Marvin is here for that same position and that is what we have been working on. Clinically Teo is looking positive. We have a really good medical department and the doctors will try and get the players ready for us. He will probably be in the squad tomorrow."

To finish, Jesus spoke about the current situation at the heart of the Alvalade defence: "With Tobias being out we only have three centre-backs. We are in a risky position and we can't pick up any injuries or suspensions. We are trying to get Rúben Semedo back, but I don't know if it will be possible in contractual terms. If not, we will have to use the January market or the B team."