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".

The Sporting CP coach is chosen by his peers as September's winner

Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim, received Liga Portugal's Manager Of The Month award this Tuesday, recognising his achievements in the month of September.

He obtained 28.15% of the votes case by the competition's first team coaches, after having led his side to three victories -against Moreirense FC, Rio Ave FC and SC Farense- and a draw away to Sporting Braga, putting the team ahead of Boavista FC at the top of the table.

After accepting the award, Amorim dedicated some words of thanks not only to those who chose him, but also to the squad and his coaching staff.

“I want to thank everyone for this award and dedicate it to the players, because they are the main part of our team, but also to the rest of the coaching staff, as well as the coaches who voted for us, as part of that healthy rivalry that exists between everyone," he began by saying.

“Now, I hope to win again next month. That would be a sign that we won our games. Still, sometimes it's a little unfair for the coach who one wins the most games to get the award, because there are excellent coaches who do a great job every month. Thank you all."

The coach's review of the win over CD Olivais e Moscavide

At the end of the victory for Sporting Clube de Portugal against CD Olivais e Moscavide in the Taça de Portugal, Rúben Amorim spoke in a press conference at the Estádio José Gomes in Amadora.

"We are a big club, who want to win every competition. This group has not yet won the Taça de Portugal and we want to win it. The secret to victory in the game was the difference between the players, even though it wasn't noticeable in the result. We started out switched off and conceded a goal. We were anxious and didn't do what we had to do. The players ran like they had to, but they were somewhat disorganised. We got the equaliser, improved in the second half and we had several chances. The game went on and became more stressful. The concentration of the players from CD Olivais e Moscavide was better than ours," he began by telling journalists, then explained the reason for Pedro Gonçalves' withdrawal in the second half.

"Pote wasn't making good decisions with the ball and he felt that. He has a great ability to go inside and outside, he's strong at crossing and strong at making decisions. He had a bad day, but he'll get through it. It didn't go well, but it's a sign that the coach has to work harder because he has the capacity to play even as a centre back."

Asked about some reactions made during the match, Amorim downplayed the topic: "My reactions are like that because we always want more. We want everything to be 'perfect'. The players know me and they know that I'm not going to massacre them because we didn't have a great game. The difference in the scoreline should have been greater, but we missed many opportunities."

Regarding the substitution of Iván Fresneda for Geny Catamo at halftime, the coach explained that the Spaniard "appeared many times in a position to cross" and that Sporting CP needed "a more decisive player in one-on-ones."

"It wasn't because of his performance. We just wanted to change the characteristics. The team are in first place in the table and I trust them all. Fresneda is a 19-year-old kid. He came from Real Valladolid CF, which reminds us of [Pedro] Porro and the expectations are very high. They are different players with different characteristics. Sportinguistas cannot be disappointed with Fresneda. A lot of people wanted the player and he wanted to come to Sporting CP. He will give a lot to the club. Some players take longer and others take less time. Both he and Morten [Hjulmand] will take a little longer, unlike Viktor [Gyökeres]. There's a lot of work ahead and it's not just on their side," he said.

Regarding Dário Essugo, Rúben Amorim considered that the midfielder "made progress with the team" and "improved a lot in the second half": "He's another 19-year-old boy who needs time to grow and will have his opportunities ".

"Jeremiah St. Juste had a good game. You can see that he lacks match pace, but he's very fast. We really need him and his specific characteristics. He needs time, as he was injured for a long spell."

Taça de Portugal campaign starts with a win

Sporting Clube de Portugal beat CD Olivais e Moscavide 1-3 in the third round of the Taça de Portugal, advancing in the competition. Marcus Edwards, Geny Catamo and Daniel Bragança scored the goals.

At the Estádio José Gomes, in Amadora, with Sportinguistas in the clear majority the rain tempered the clash between the team and the side that compete in the AF Lisboa District Championship.

With nine changes in the first XI from the last game before the international break (only Marcus Edwards and Pedro Gonçalves remained), the biggest highlight of the starting lineup was the inclusion of Jeremiah St. Juste, who had recovered from injury and added his first minutes of the season. Those who also made their debut for Sporting CP in 2023/2024 were Franco Israel, in goal, and Dário Essugo, in midfield. Francisco Trincão, another player recovering from injury, was also back.

Sporting CP came out stronger and could have opened the scoring after just three minutes, when Paulinho set up Marcus Edwards, but the latter couldn't take advantage when in a good position.

CD Olivais e Moscavide managed, shortly after, to win a penalty kick and make it 1-0 thanks to Fabrício Simões' conversion, scoring a historic goal for his club.

From then on, it was all Sporting CP and the team got closer and closer to an equaliser. In the 13th minute, Francisco Trincão's curled shot hit the post and then Rúben Gonçalves saved Paulinho's header. The bar once again prevented a goal, this time from Pedro Gonçalves, after a beautiful collective move and an arching shot.

After further attempts by Francisco Trincão and Paulinho, a penalty kick was appealed for in the CD Olivais e Moscavide area due to handball, but, on this occasion, referee Hélder Carvalho allowed play to continue.

Sporting CP continued to persist through Pedro Gonçalves, whose header required a good save from Rúben Gonçalves for a corner. They finally scored just before half-time: Marcus Edwards was fouled in the area and the Englishman converted the penalty for his second goal of the season.

For the second half, coach Rúben Amorim brought on Geny Catamo in place of Iván Fresneda and Sporting CP continued looking for the second goal to would complete the turnaround against an aggressive CD Olivais e Moscavide.

The change paid off in the 53rd minute. Paulinho worked well, tried to serve up a teammate and, after some defensive rebounds, Edwards headed the ball against the post. CD Olivais e Moscavide got a let-off but, from the second ball, Geny Catamo shot first time into the back of the net. The Mozambican international scored his first goal for the first team and put Sporting CP ahead in Reboleira.

Soon after, Pedro Gonçalves made way for Nuno Santos and the opportunities continued. In the 60th minute, Rodrigo Pedro cut in to deny Paulinho off an assist from Daniel Bragança. Then Trincão gave a great pass to Edwards, who, in front of goal, shot wide.

Geny Catamo, Nuno Santos and Daniel Bragança continued to try for a goal, while Morten Hjulmand, Gonçalo Inácio and Ricardo Esgaio came on from the bench to replace Essugo, St. Juste and Edwards, respectively.

After Paulinho's header was saved and Daniel Bragança shot over, Sporting CP made it 1-3 during stoppage time.

On a fatal counterattack, Trincão found Catamo and he, after dodging the goalkeeper, assisted Bragança, who deflected the ball into the back of the net at the far post.

Sporting CP will now travel to Poland to face RKS Raków Częstochowa on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League group stage.

Sporting CP: Franco Israel [GK], Jeremiah St. Juste (Gonçalo Inácio, 82'), Luís Neto [C], Matheus Reis, Iván Fresneda (Geny Catamo, 46'), Dário Essugo (Morten Hjulmand, 74'), Daniel Bragança, Pedro Gonçalves (Nuno Santos, 54'), Marcus Edwards (Ricardo Esgaio, 82'), Francisco Trincão and Paulinho.

The coach prepares for the Taça de Portugal

This Saturday, Sporting Clube de Portugal kick off their Taça de Portugal campaign against CD Olivais e Moscavide. The third round game takes place at the Estádio José Gomes in Amadora, and coach Rúben Amorim is not overlooking the opponents from the 1.ª District League.

In his pre-match press conference, he revealed that Jeremiah St. Juste and Francisco Trincão “are fit, have been called up and will be able to play", and confirmed that only Hidemasa Morita, who suffered a knock while on international duty, and the suspended Ousmane Diomande are unavailable.

“We are going to field a team that, clearly, could play in the top flight. We just want to win the game, there is no plan for any type of rotation to look at this player or that player. Obviously we have taken into account the opposition and the fact that we have a game on Thursday and then on Monday. We will have a tight schedule and everyone will be used, but tomorrow when you look at the starting XI you will see that this team could play in the championship. It’s going to be a team set up to win, as always".

In recent seasons, Sporting CP have been eliminated early from the competition, and the coach obviously does not want this to happen again.

“We have already fallen by the wayside against teams from lower divisions, we have to remember that and CD Olivais e Moscavide are even further below us in terms of the division they play in. We want to win the race, but we’re going to go step-by-step”.

“CD Olivais e Moscavide have nothing to lose and will be very motivated. Our players also have to be motivated, because they know they have a coach who, if they make things easier for the opponents in one game, may not play in the next one. We have a job to do and the desire has to be there. They are fighting for their places in the team, especially this year, and they can't make it easier to be left out. The Taça de Portugal is a trophy that we haven't won yet, and that we want to win".

“Winning a cup is an important moment in the players’ careers. Maybe it's the most special day, apart from when we win the league title. The day of the Taça de Portugal final is something that all players want to experience and I would be lying if I said that we don't want to make a clean sweep of the domestic trophies. Hence, everyone is called up. Even against a district team, we will present the best team to win".

Seven squad members will represent their countries

Gonçalo Inácio (Portugal), Eduardo Quaresma (Portugal Under-21s), Dário Essugo (Portugal Under-21s), Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden), Morten Hjulmand (Denmark), Hidemasa Morita (Japan) and Ousmane Diomande (Ivory Coast) will join up with their respective national teams in the coming days.

Portugal will play against Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in qualifying matches for the European Championships. The first game is scheduled for October 13th, at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, while the second will be played away in Zenica, three days later.

The Under-21s will also play two qualifying games for their European Championships, against Belarus and Greece. The first match will be played on October 13th, at the Cidade de Barcelos, and the second on the 17th, at the D. Afonso Henriques in Guimarães.

Sweden play at home on October 12th against Moldova and then in Belgium on the 16th.

Denmark will also be focused on the European Championships, with qualifiers against Kazakhstan at home and then an away fixture against San Marino.

The Japanese and Ivory Coast teams will only play friendly matches. Japan will face Canada (13/10) and Tunisia (17/10) in their homeland. The Ivory Coast will face their counterparts from Morocco (14/10) and South Africa (17/10) at home.

Internationals continue to join the group ahead of Saturday's game

Sporting Clube de Portugal's first team continued their preparations for a first Taça de Portugal tie of the season this Thursday, in a training session held in the morning.

The team travel to the Estádio José Gomes on Saturday to face CD Oivais e Moscavide in an 8:45pm kickoff.

Rúben Amorim's men were bolstered by the return of more international players, back from representing their respective countries. Diogo Pinto, Alexandre Brito, Marco Cruz and Chico Lamba were all present.

On Friday afternoon, Amorim will hold a press conference to give his preview of the cup contest.

The coach hails his side's control in a difficult 2-1 win

In the aftermath of the win against FC Arouca, Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim praised the performance from his side, who played for an entire half down to ten men.

“Until the sending off, there was one team attacking and the other was defending. We controlled the game well, without creating big opportunities, but we were always close to the goal. We didn’t let FC Arouca bring the ball out,” he began by saying in his post-match press conference.

“After the red card, the game changed a little. In the second half we conceded the goal, which made it very difficult, but we had the ability to fight back. The team showed maturity and adapted to every moment of the game,” he stressed, before stating that the fact that Viktor Gyökeres was loudly applauded at the end of the match by the fans in the stands was “normal."

“I understand why, as while we had one less player, he was the one who allowed us to breathe easy. He controlled the ball, took it and won free kicks. The fans liked that because they could see the influence he had on the way the game went. I understand the fans, but I don't like to single out just Viktor, as everyone worked very hard after a very demanding game on Thursday."

Whilst he refused to comment on the sending off of Ousmane Diomande, the Amorim explained why he decided to switch Eduardo Quaresma for Luís Neto in the final stretch of the match, after the young central defender had come on at the beginning of the second half.

“Quaresma came on because we had to take risks and we were going to defend with a line of four. He's very fast and strong in one-on-ones, but then he got a yellow card and we scored. FC Arouca were only creating danger with crosses, and Neto is clearly stronger at dealing with that. I don't like doing it, but it's what the game demanded. The players know it's not personal and that tomorrow they could be a starter. We wanted to win, and that’s why I made the change."

In closing, he revealed that he will not give the team a holiday during the international break, although he will grant three days off to the players who remain in Alcochete.

“No one will have a mini-holiday: They will have days off -a maximum of three- because if you give any more than that then later on it is more difficult to get back into the rhythm of things. We have a large group that are not going away with their national teams, with players who still have a way to grow. We'll give them three days, but then we'll come back. We will obviously pay attention to rest, but there are no holidays for anyone."

Gyökeres and Morita strike in a 2-1 triumph

On their return to domestic action, Sporting Clube de Portugal beat FC Arouca 2-1 in Liga Portugal at the Estádio José Alvalade. Despite going down to ten men in the 42nd minute, the team proved strong and scored a winning goal that makes them outright leaders of the division.

On the day of the club's General Assembly, Sportinguistas, including representatives from 51 groups across the country, travelled en masse to Alvalade to support their team. The players took to the pitch with pink bows printed on their shirts in honour of Pink October, a movement that raises awareness about the prevention of breast cancer.

Coach Rúben Amorim brought back three players to the starting lineup, including Sebastián Coates, Ricardo Esgaio and Marcus Edwards in his initial XI. With FC Arouca well organised defensively, Sporting CP circulated the ball from one channel to the other, but it was not easy to break through the lines.

Having settled in the opposing half, they had a lot of possession and gradually made some tentative approaches on goal, but without managing to create much danger. In the first half hour, the best opportunities belonged to Pedro Gonçalves, with a weak shot and then a header, and Marcus Edwards, who had his effort saved by the goalkeeper.

Nevertheless, after 31 minutes and plenty of insistence, Sporting CP made it 1-0. Marcus Edwards jinked inside and crossed with precision for an unmarked Viktor Gyökeres, who finished first time for his fourth goal in the last three games -his eighth in total this season.

The advantage upped the intensity from the fans, and a move by Inácio, Coates and Diomande saw the team come close to doubling their lead.

However, just before the break, Diomande received a second yellow card and was sent off for what the referee adjudged to have been an elbow on an opposition player.

Down to ten men, Rúben Amorim introduced Matheus Reis on the left side of the defence, and the fullbacks formed a line of five at times without the ball. Despite reinforcing the back line, in the 52nd minute FC Arouca pulled back level with a header from Rafa Mújica to make it 1-1.

Although they had numerical inferiority and needed to start over, Sporting CP continued to dominate play. Nuno Santos came close to scoring with a dangerous shot into the side netting, and Gonçalves failed to deflect a cross into the six-yard-box.

Amorim changed his team around again to bring in Geny Catamo and Eduardo Quaresma. Os Leões threatened and threatened until, in the 68th minute, they managed to score a second goal. After some excellent work on the left,  Gonçalves found space, crossed in and set up Morita, who knocked in his first goal of the season at the near post.

FC Arouca, who until then had relied on the counterattack but had failed to achieve more than a couple of dangerous shots, began to have more of the ball in the final 15 minutes, but the best scoring opportunities before the final whistle went to Sporting CP. On the best of them, Catamo delivered a powerful arcing shot, but Arruabarrena made a big save.

The 2-1 result makes Sporting CP outright leaders in Liga Portugal, heading into the international break. Next up is a Taça de Portugal Third Round game against CD Olivais e Moscavide on October 21st.

Sporting CP: Antonio Adán (GK), Ousmane Diomande, Sebastián Coates (C), Gonçalo Inácio, Ricardo Esgaio (Geny Catamo, 58'), Hidemasa Morita, Morten Hjulmand (Daniel Bragança, 81'), Nuno Santos (Eduardo Quaresma, 58', Luís Neto, 88'), Marcus Edwards (Matheus Reis, 45'), Pedro Gonçalves and Viktor Gyökeres.

The coach's preview of the game against FC Arouca

Sporting Clube de Portugal host FC Arouca this Sunday, at 8:30 pm, on Liga Portugal Matchday 8.

Os Leões return home after their midweek defeat in the Europa League and Rúben Amorim is only thinking about a win, saying that whilst it is good to play right after a loss, he would have preferred to have had more time to prepare for this match.

"We enjoyed playing in Europe, but we could have had one more day to prepare for the game and we didn't get it. Nevertheless, the team are ready. The players are fresh because there was rotation during this time", he told the media.

"We know FC Arouca very well; We know that last year we didn't win any game against them and we want to change that this year.Daniel Ramos is a very experienced coach, he knows that as the game goes on it will create anxiety in everyone, so what we want is to start well and play well in the first and second half to win the game. They vary between 4 and 5 in defence, with the winger playing as the fifth man. We have trained for that in the time we had, we focused a lot on what we need to be very good at, we worked on that and I think that tomorrow we will have a good game".

"We have to be hungry, we want to win and we must be very calm in the face of everything that happens. We know that FC Arouca want to keep it 0-0, make transitions, create one or two opportunities and create a bad atmosphere in our stadium. What we have to do is have a lot of confidence, stay calm, be well organised and not let them make too many transitions", said the coach, denying that the defeat against Atalanta BC will affect his Sporting CP side.

"What's done is done. We need to always be optimistic. I believe we can be champions, win trophies and go through in Europe. We've already proven that many times. Tomorrow we have another game, what we want is to stay in first place and that's what we're going to play for".

Amorim also spoke about Jeremiah St. Juste, saying that the central defender "is getting closer and closer" to his return, and commented on the importance of Sebastián Coates.

"For me, as a coach , what he represents is an example in the way he has always played and how he helps his teammates, but I think he can still get better as a player and as a captain, and when I look at him I want him to do more. He is very important for us and you see that the team feel more confident with him on the pitch".