Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts ahead of the Lisbon derby

This might be the fourth derby of the season, but Jorge Jesus is adamant that his team will be just as motivated as ever as the two Lisbon giants clash this Saturday evening.

“It will be a typical derby: difficult and passionate. I hope everything goes well and that Sporting is up to the standard that we have already shown against Benfica. The fact that we have already won three has given us a trophy, three points in the league and a win that unfortunately doesn't mean much, because we were knocked out of the Portuguese Cup. What matters right now are the three points and the lads are feeling just as confident now as they were in the first derby in the Super Cup", affirmed the Alvalade boss, going on to reject the possibility of the title being decided tomorrow: "Either team winning it doesn't resolve anything. There will still be nine more matches to play and a lot of points up for grabs. If we win tomorrow then it is just another three points."

The Sporting coach continues happy with his squad's performance so far this season. "Sometimes you can't do what you set out to do, but what we set out to do was to get Sporting in the fight for the title and today that is a reality", added Jesus, before closing with a comment on Rui Patrício's new contract: "It is a great bit of news for every Sporting fan. Three symbols of the team have already signed this season. The club has a good policy set out and the players who come through from the Academy are really important for Sporting."

Alvalade to mark 50th anniversary of 3rd place finish in England

Sporting Clube de Portugal will make a tribute to Portugal's 1966 World Cup team during half-time of the Lisbon derby, on the 5th of March.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Portugal's historic 3rd place finish, which is still to this day the country's best performance in the prestigious competition.

Sporting was the most represented club for the competition hosted in England: the goalkeeper Carvalho (one match); the defenders José Carlos (two), Alexandre Baptista (five) and Hilário (played every match); the midfielders Peres (didn't play) and Morais (three); and the forwards Figueiredo and João Lourenço (also didn't play).

Also part of hte team were José Pereira, Vicente, Manuel Duarte, Germano, Fernando Cruz, Custódio Pinto, Festa, Coluna, Jaime Graça, Simões, José Augusto, Eusébio and Torres.

A partir de dia 27 de Fevereiro

Sporting Clube de Portugal informs all Club Members and fans that tickets for the Lisbon derby are in high demand. Special Seats which have not been renewed by 10h00 on the 27th of February, being 1 week before the match, will be put on sale.