Artur Soares Dias named for I Liga matchday six

Artur Soares Dias, 36, from the Porto Football Association, has been named to take charge of Sporting's visit to Boavista, on I Liga matchday six.

Rui Licínio and Bruno Rodrigues will act as linesmen.

Boavista-Sporting will kick off at 20h45 on Saturday the 26th of September, in Estádio do Bessa (Porto).

Tickets on sale in Alvalade for Boavista and Besiktas

Tickets for the next two matches, which will see Sporting visit Boavista (Saturday) and Besiktas (Thursday) are now on sale.

Tickets for I Liga matchday 6 will be on sale on Thursday and Friday from 10h00 to 20h00 and are priced at 12.5€ (North End). Ticket sales are exclusively for Club Members on Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled from 20h45 on Saturday, in Estádio do Bessa (Porto).

Tickets for Europa League Group H matchday two will be on sale until Monday and are priced from 9€ (Goal End) to 24€ (Central). Besiktas-Sporting will kick-off on Thursday the 1st of October at 20h00 EET.

Jorge Jesus reflects on another three I Liga points

“It was hard to win against a side that defended well”, opened Jorge Jesus in a post-match press conference after his side’s battling victory against Nacional on Monday night.

For the Sporting coach, the key to unlocking the three points was some calm nerves in the closing stages: “We never showed anxiety and that it why we scored. Only a team that keeps their calm can make the difference when it matters. In the first-half we had trouble finding space. Montero was important to remedy that.”

Reflecting on the win, Jesus added: “You have to battle to win. There are no easy games and that is why we are at the top of the table. It was important to win and we want to fight for the title until the end. The lads deserve a pat on the back for playing as a team like they did. To win the league you have to suffer sometimes and the fans really got behind us.”

Montero scores late winner to keep Sporting ahead of the pack

Jorge Jesus’ side were only interested in a win this Monday evening against Nacional that would keep Sporting at the top of the I Liga table and no other result looked likely, with the team from Alvalade holding down long spells of possession and pegging the visitors back into their final third.

Chance after chance failed to put the ball in the ball of the net, with Gelson, Slimani and Jefferson all coming close in the first-half. However, the pressure soon paid off, when Sequeira was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. A man down, the visitors could do little more than bunker down in defence, while Sporting continued to press for a goal.

The second-half was much of the game, with Jorge Jesus’ charges piling on the pressure but struggling to create space to get a shot away against a closed Nacional defence. Nerves began to show in the crowd, but some calm, collective play finally got its reward four minutes from time, when Montero found a yard to tuck away the winner.

The result keeps Sporting in 1st, tied on 13 points with FC Porto. Sporting are next in action at the weekend against Boavista, in Estádio do Bessa.

Montero happy with Monday's winner against Nacional

Fredy Montero proved crucial in Monday’s win over Nacional, coming off the bench to score the winner four minutes from time.

"We knew that Nacional are a tough side. We tried to score early, but we didn’t and that makes things harder”, opened the Colombian at the final whistle, adding a word on his side’s recovery from last week’s loss to Lokomotiv Moscow: “Sporting has some really experienced players and we know how to deal with this kind of situation.”

In parallel, Montero promised to keep putting in the work to keep up his goal streak: “I am going to carry on working and I will try to take opportunities when they come to score and to help the team.”

Jorge Jesus includes 19 for I Liga matchday five

Jorge Jesus, has included a total of 19 players in his I Liga matchday five squad to face Nacional:

Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício and Marcelo Boeck;
Defenders: Ricardo Esgaio, Paulo Oliveira, Naldo, Tobias Figueiredo, Jefferson and Jonathan Silva;
Midfielders: Adrien, Bruno Paulista, Aquilani, André Martins and João Mário;
Forwards: Gelson Martins, Bryan Ruiz, Carlos Mané, Montero, Teo Gutiérrez and Slimani.

Sporting-Nacional will get underway at 21h00 on Monday the 21st of September, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on hosting of Nacional

Jorge Jesus is expecting his side to put Thursday’s Europa League loss to Lokomotiv Moscow squarely behind them, starting with Monday night’s hosting of Nacional.

“I am not expecting it to be easy. We have to play at the level we have been at offensively and a bit better in defence compared to our last game, because we want to win. If we want to stay at the top of the table, we have to win”, opened the Alvalade coach, guaranteeing that his side have shaken off last week’s setback: “Of course you aren’t happy when you lose, but what matters is that we have understood what was wrong in defence. When you are at this stage of the season, in the middle of several competitions, you don’t have that much time to change tactics and you have to focus on getting the players in shape for the next match. Our main focus is the league and we want to stay in first, which starts with Nacional tomorrow.”

Jesus also stressed that Sunday’s encounter between FC Porto and Benfica will in no way effect his players: “What matters is that if we win tomorrow, then we will still be in first. What happens between FC Porto and Benfica doesn’t make a difference. We have to focus on our own match.”

Asked to reflect on his side’s solid form outside of Alvalade this season, the sporting coach added: “We have played more games away and won all of them. At home we only didn’t beat Paços de Ferreira. What I want is the players to show class and power, just like they have been doing. We don’t want to slip away from the top of the table and to make sure we don’t we have to win tomorrow.”

Jorge Jesus also spared a few words for Sporting B star Matheus Pereira, who have been working with the senior squad. “He is a young player with a lot of potential and who fits in with the team. We believe in him, just like we believe in Gelson. He could come into the team at any time, but he is still developing”, said Jesus before finishing on the recovery of William Carvalho and Ewerton after long spells out through injury: “They are back in full training now, but they have been out of action for around two months. Clinically they are 100%, but physically, technically and tactically they aren’t, so we will work with them during the week.”

Sporting-Nacional will kick-off at 21h00 on Monday the 21st of September, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Fábio Veríssimo to take charge of I Liga matchday five

Fábio Veríssimo, 32, from the Leiria Football Association, has been named for Sporting’s hosting of Nacional, on I Liga matchday five.

Pedro Felisberto and Rui Freire will act as linesmen, with Carlos Coelho acting as observer.

Sporting-Nacional will kick-off at 21h00 on Monday the 21st of September, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Jorge Jesus on Sporting's 3-1 loss to Lokomotiv Moscow

“Sporting lost against a more experienced team”, opened Jorge Jesus in a post-match press conference on Thursday night.

Reflecting on his side’s 3-1 loss, the Alvalade boss noted: “We didn’t do very well defensively. Lokomotiv created problems for us on the counter-attack. The lads who haven’t played that much did well and I am happy with the choice. If you asked me if I would do the same again, then I would. I know very well what our objectives are. We did what we could to win today and nothing is decided yet.”

Sporting miss out in Europa League opener

Jorge Jesus made three major changes to his side for the Europa League hosting of the Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow this Thursday night, introducing Tobias Figueiredo, Carlos Mané and Gelson Martins into the starting line-up in place of Naldo, João Mário (suspended) and Carrillo.

The game got off to a well-contested start, with neither side creating any clear chances on goal and with Sporting holding a slight edge in terms of possession. The bulk of Sporting’s early efforts game through attempts from range from Adrien and Aquilani, before the Russian visitors opened the scoring on 20 minutes from a speedy counter-attack rounded off by Samedov. In fact, attacking on the break proved to be Lokomotiv’s theme for the night, with the Russians looking happy to sit back and let Sporting enjoy length spells with the ball.

Jorge Jesus’ side came out looking much more determined after the break and were soon pushing forward. Montero restored the deadlock with an unstoppable drive high into the net, triggering a spell of Sporting dominance that was more than deserving of a second, before Lokomotiv took the lead again through Samedov five minutes later. The occasional crack began to show in the Alvalade defence and on 65 minutes Diasse effectively secured the three points with his side’s third goal of the night.

Sporting are next in action on the 21st of September, in a I Liga hosting of Nacional.