The coach talks about the Taça de Portugal semifinals

Sporting Clube de Portugal host Rio Ave FC this Thursday in the Taça de Portugal semifinals. Coach Rui Borges previewed the game ahead in a press conference on Wednesday.

The semifinals
"It's a two-legged tie and the focus is solely on winning. We want to win, and we have to keep in mind that these will be two difficult games. Rio Ave FC certainly want to be in the final of the Taça de Portugal and will definitely come into the match very motivated. These are different games to league fixtures, because they dictate who will get into a final. They will compete to the fullest on every move, giving everything to get to the final.

We will do exactly the same thing. We want to win and the opposition cannot be more motivated than us. It will be a very competitive tie and nothing will be resolved in just one game. We have to play both games with the same rigor, ambition and concentration, but tomorrow in front of our fans we want to win."

Confidence in the team
"I have always maintained the same line: I have a huge ambition to win the league and to be able to win a cup final. For that to happen we have to overcome Rio Ave FC in this semi-final. The optimism is the same, our confidence is growing and the team has spoken for me and grown in terms of the quality of our play.

I'm very confident in the response that the team have been able to provide, in terms of their competitivity and consistency with our strategy and results. Therefore, I'm really confident for what will be the final stretch of the league and cup."

Possible rotations
"We really want to be in the final. We know that it will be difficult to overcome Rio Ave FC and we cannot think about keeping anything in reserve. There may be one or two changes, in terms of strategy, but we will approach the game very seriously. The focus is always the same for any game.

If I ask the players if they want to rest tomorrow and play on Monday, they'll kill me (laughs). Regardless of whether we play SC Braga in our next game and SL Benfica plays away at FC Porto, the title will be decided right at the end. We have to be focused on the next game and on being present in the final of the cup."

A possible final
"More than thinking about playing SL Benfica – and we have to respect FC Tirsense too – we have to think that we really want to win the cup, regardless of the opponent."

Possible future reinforcements
"I'm not going to say the name because it's difficult (laughs). Kochorashvili was a player identified by the club some time ago and who as a technical committee we had already observed at other times. He's a competitive player, with goals, technical quality... We believe he will add a lot and be an asset for Sporting CP. The club had the opportunity to guarantee his purchase now, and I'm happy about that.

We had also identified Alisson in January and there was no opportunity to bring him in then, but we closed the deal now, with a view to his future and growth.

In January, no one lets players leave, especially clubs fighting to move up the division, so it was difficult to close deals at that time."

Absences
"Morita is out of the game with Rio Ave FC and Pedro Gonçalves is too. I believe that in the next ten days he will be able to return; that's not the doctor saying this though, it's me who evaluates the day to day situation. I believe he will be close to making his contribution to the team.

If he were available, he would play, whether it was a lot or a little time, because of everything he gives to the team. We have missed him and I believe he will be very important in the final stretch of the season, if everything goes well."

His formation
"The goalkeepers don't know who's playing, so I'm not going to say anything here either (laughs).

Somehow, I have adapted to the moment at Sporting CP; To insist on something we really want, we have to have time and players available. Unfortunately we didn't have any of that and therefore we had to adapt.

Nevertheless, we often create in threes, so the formation is subjective. We have defended with a 4-4-2 in many games. Overall, the system doesn't deviate much from what we want, but at this stage, more than creating discomfort, we want to create trust in the group. We don't have much time to train, so we adapt one thing or another as we can. Above all, I want to feel the team grow in terms of confidence and energy."