The coach previews a meeting with RKS Raków Częstochowa

Sporting Clube de Portugal visit Polish side RKS Raków Częstochowa this Thursday on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League group stage, and coach Rúben Amorim talked about the game in a pre-match press conference.

At Zagłębiowski Park Sportowy, the stadium in Sosnowiec where the match will take place, he began by defining the objective for the game.

"For us, it's a normal game in which we have to win, because we have ambitions in the group. We've already lost a game and we can make everything more complicated tomorrow or make our lives easier and be in the fight to go through perhaps in first place", he began by telling journalists.

The coach insisted that, despite not being a well-known team in Europe, RKS Raków Częstochowa are a quality side.

"People don't know the RKS Raków Częstochowa team. They have internationals in their squad, they were champions of Poland, They play very well and they are organised. They made life difficult for Atalanta BC and they lost to SK Sturm Graz by a small margin. Our players know this, as do the coaching staff".

For Amorim, "the main focus and what affects the club the most is becoming Liga Portugal champions again, so that is the main objective, but Sporting CP will not devalue other competitions because it is crucial to maintain this wave of victories that helps in difficult times".
"Tomorrow we will pick the strongest team to win the game, and we want to go as far as possible in the UEFA Europa League".

Asked what he expects on Thursday, he stated that "You will see a very organised team with a very young coach. You can see that he has the ability to coach the players in the distances between the defenders, in the way they advance and how they press. They have three strong players up front, which means our players have to do a lot of observation in preparation".

"John Yeboah is very fast, the central midfielders switch a lot and they can play with two pivots or with one of the wingers dropping in. They have very fast fullbacks and it will be a game of duels. They play with three central defenders who are good on the ball and are very strong in individual battles. We have to look for their weaknesses, as they will do with us. We have to be mobile. I foresee a game of duels and we shouldn't do what teams do to us when clubs from big leagues overlook us. Let's not make that mistake. RKS Raków Częstochowa are an excellent team, with an excellent coach and international players. We will be prepared for the challenge".

Finally, after announcing that Hidemasa Morita will start in Poland, Amorim spoke about Geny Catamo.

"Geny hasn't reached his top potential. He has adapted to a new position and will vary between positions. He can be a starter for Sporting CP; he has the talent for that. He has to grow a lot in his understanding of the game, but he is very intelligent. He proved, from the first minute of preseason, that he deserves to be in the team and has developed his game, scoring goals and drawing attention. He has a lot of talent and is helping the team".