The coach looks ahead to the semifinal second leg

Sporting CP coach Rui Borges previewed the second leg of the Taça de Portugal semifinal, in which his side play away from home against Rio Ave FC, in his Monday press conference.

The match against Rio Ave FC
"I expect a tough game. Regardless of whether we are ahead on aggregate, we are at 'half-time' in the tie and 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in football. I believe that Rio Ave FC will try to come out strong to fight for a place in the final. It's up to us to come out with the same rigour, ambition and intensity that we have had, to not let our opponents believe they have a chance. We want to wrap up the tie as soon as possible and we want to be in the Taça de Portugal final."

Managing the aggregate advantage
"It would be a mistake for us to go into the game with expectations. 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in football, as I said. We want us to be the Sporting CP that we have always been. We could have scored more goals at home and we will try to be the same team that we were in the first 25 minutes of that game.

Despite playing at a home ground that isn't theirs, Rio Ave FC will rely on the strength of their fans and it will be a difficult game, where the other team will always believe, because everyone wants to be in the final of the Taça de Portugal. I also speak for myself, as I have never been in one and it is a dream of mine. We're going in wanting to resolve the tie quickly, be competent and, above all, win."

The debate over where the final will be held
"I quite honestly understand both sides of the issue. I've been to the Estádio do Jamor and it can indeed be more difficult to control some security issues. But the magic of the final is very much in the stadium and I don't see myself competing outside of Jamor. The dream of being present in this final exists largely due to the atmosphere there.

Therefore, it is logical that I believe that, despite the problems, the final can be played at Jamor, even if it is effectively played between Sporting CP and SL Benfica."

Sporting CP's strengths in the final stretch of the season
"Above all, Sporting CP have been a very competent and competitive team. We have grown little by little, even without having had a lot of time for training. We have had patience and brought back players – for example Pedro Gonçalves and Morten [Hjulmand], who is finally recovering from some complaints that arose after the international games.

We have been growing in confidence and intensity levels, so we'll focus on what we control, which is our games. If we are competent until the end, we will be what we want to be."

The fight for the title
"Sporting CP are strong and in first place. The players speak for me, in our games: The team look very confident. I look at all of them a lot – I'm very observant – and I've always felt the team are confident and calm.

Since I arrived here I've never seen the team with a sad or doubtful expression on their faces. That's what I asked of them: they are the reigning champions and they have to believe. They are the best, they have been the best, and it is up to us to achieve our goals.

We must maintain this tranquility and, above all, rigour. In this final stretch, everything counts and they have this focus: Rest, hydration and food."

The return of Hidemasa Morita
"Morita is not ready to play yet, but I believe that against Boavista FC he will be there to help us for at least a few minutes."

Viktor Gyokëres' fight to win the Ballon d'Or
"I believe he is in there, because he is very competitive. Not just in the games; in training he is exactly the same: hungry for goals.

He has improved since arriving at Sporting CP, both individually and in his link-up play. We have to take advantage of this while we can, because he has shown himself to be an above average player. He is completely focused and has the ambition to be able to help the team become champions again -and play in the final of the Taça de Portugal."

The transfer market
"I'm focused on this season for now, not next year. Alberto Costa has a contract with Juventus. I know him, he was my player before and I admire him a lot. We tried to bring him here in January and I'm not going to back away from that. You know I like him a lot, but there's no point in talking about it now."