The Sporting CP coach speaks ahead of the Liga Portugal season finale

Sporting Clube de Portugal close the 2023/24 Liga Portugal season at the Estádio José Alvalade this Saturday against already relegated GD Chaves, and coach Rúben Amorim explained in his pre-match press conference that there are still objectives to achieve for the new champions.

“This game is very important because few teams have managed to win all of their home matches, so it would be a mark that this team would leave in the history books. We also want to reward the fans for all their support and make the party more beautiful. Furthermore, the best preparation for the next game, the Taça de Portugal final, is to win and play well. We're going to try to do that", he assured journalists, as well as revealing that this game will also serve as a way for Luís Neto and Antonio Adán to bid farewell to Alvalade.

“We will take the opportunity to say goodbye to two very important players on this journey. Neto will play his last game at the stadium. Antonio won't play because he's injured, but I want them both to have a moment in line with the importance they have had at the club. We are aware that we are only here because we were champions in the first year and without them this wouldn't have happened. Everything we built in that first spell, which gave us stability, was also down to them, and that is why we are here in a very good time for the club. I want everyone to say goodbye to them and know that we are so grateful for what they have done here”.

Amorim insisted that he was not worried about any relaxation in the squad, after the team got together a few days ago for a celebratory dinner for Liga Portugal title number 24.

“If we were fighting for the title, that wouldn't happen, because we would have to prepare for the Taça de Portugal. We had the dinners we had to make and gave the interviews we had to give, but from this game onwards we will enter the Taça de Portugal final mode. We wanted to bring fans closer to the team and give back to them, so that they get to know everyone who was part of the success in the league better. I'm not afraid of that, it's the price of success and we have had two weeks to clear away these distractions", he pointed out, before revealing what the starting XI will be against GD Chaves.

“[Diogo] Pinto, [Ricardo] Esgaio, [Luís] Neto, Seba [Coates], [Gonçalo] Inácio, Nuno Santos, Morita, Hjulmand, [Francisco] Trincão, Viktor [Gyokeres] and Pote will play”, he said. , informing that Francisco Silva, the 18-year-old goalkeeper, could make his debut, and that Geny Catamo “is not yet ready” and “Jeremiah St. Juste] will be called up and [Eduardo] Quaresma too. Matheus Reis had a relapse of his injury”.