The coach explains the approach to the Europa League dead rubber against SK Sturm Graz

This Thursday, Sporting Clube de Portugal host SK Sturm Graz on the sixth and final matchday for Group D in the Europa League.

Sporting CP have already confirmed their place in the playoff for the Round of 16 of the competition, but coach Rúben Amorim still sees the game as useful.

“Playing for a big club has a lot of good things, but there is also this aspect, that there are no days off and that we are always being judged on our last game. Therefore, we have to focus on that. The players also know that I change my opinion from one day to the next, because one player might have trained very well, so imagine how useful a game is. It's in their hands. They are the ones who make up the starting XI for the games. Sometimes, there are two players for a position and both deserve to play, and it's a little unfair, but we have a game to play and a lot to improve in all aspects: The defensive side, the pressure side, the ability to play between the lines... things that we already did very well and that now we lack a little, as well as the ability to understand the moments within the game," he told journalists.

"We have so much to improve for the future in the league, that we have to make the most of this game. Then we will have time to prepare for the next games," the coach began by saying, before commenting on the team's consistency in Europe.

“We had an obligation to progress in this competition due to the greatness of the club, because of the objectives we have and because we have a squad in which we have to have games to play them all."

“If we are not in several competitions, managing the group becomes more difficult. So we achieved an objective, but it wasn't what we wanted. We wanted first place in the group, we didn't achieve it, but we moved on and that was our minimum obligation in the group," he also said, revealing what he expects from this last group fixture.

"We are expecting opponents who press and who will want to win the game. Contrary to what I thought, in the first game SK Sturm Graz waited a little longer and didn't immediately jump into a high press, which is unusual. There are physically strong and have very fast players up front. I think it will be a different game than the first one. SK Sturm Graz will put pressure on us from the first minute, perhaps all the way to our goal, and we must be able to play like we have been doing. At certain times it will be a different game and we will have to have different responses. On the other hand, I think we could have a little more space between the lines and at the back. Let’s see what they have prepared for tomorrow, but I think it will be different from the first game."

On Monday there will be a Clássico against FC Porto at Alvalade, but Rúben Amorim made it clear that Sporting CP are not thinking about that yet.

“I still don’t know the XI we will have for Monday's game, because this one is the focus. There are players who will play less so that the team perform well and win the game, and so that they are physically prepared. Some need more time, others less, but no player can look at it and say 'I played 90 minutes on Thursday, so I won't play on Monday'."

"If the league game were on Sunday, it would have influence. It depends on their game, it depends on the idea, it depends on the opponent's game today. All this evaluation will be done, but I guarantee all the players that it doesn’t matter if they play 90 minutes now.”

“We have to win and we have to play well. Only in this way will they be able to play against FC Porto, but there are players who I know that, playing a game on the weekend and playing on Thursday, if they play every minute, in the third game of the week they suffer. These are the only calculations I make, but they are all ready to start against FC Porto." said the green and white coach.

The winter transfer window will open in January, and with that approaching, Amorim was already questioned about arrivals and departures -in particular, regarding Viktor Gyökeres.

“There is a buyout clause in his contract. It was said that, especially in January, players only leave through their buyout clause being met. If that happens, we won't be able to do anything about it. It's normal for clubs to pay attention to the level of players in Portugal because they go abroad and perform really well. They know that the players in our league are prepared for the best leagues in the world," he said, adding: “It’s clear that he will only leave through the clause being met, but we aren't thinking about replacing him now. We have been losing players that I thought would be very difficult to replace, like Matheus Nunes, who took the ball forward, Porro, who attacked on the right side, and now Viktor, who is the standout player, but we have had the ability to renew the team. So I don't lose hours of sleep over it. I did in the past, because there was always this idea that we would have to sell to survive, but, at the moment, there is no such thing, all we have to do is see if a club pays the clause."

In that case the players have to go. However, we will find a solution. We are increasingly prepared for this.”

The absences of Hidemasa Morita, Geny Catamo and Ousmane Diomande in January are almost certain due to their respective national team commitments, but Amorim revealed that Sporting CP will not go into the market to replace them because of that situation.

“We will have time to think about it, but the players who go away for competitions will not be replaced, because it is only a month. What we can do, depending on the market, is look at players not just for now, but thinking about the future. This is what we have been doing and we will maintain our policy. We have this problem that the international competitions take place now, but we have to think about the present and the future. There will be no reinforcements to replace these players, but what could happen is an adjustment to the squad thinking about the present and the future," he said.