The Sporting CP assistant coach looks ahead to the game against Paços de Ferreira

Sporting CP start their Liga NOS campaign on Sunday, on what is Matchday 2 of the Portuguese league season. After their game against Gil Vicente FC last weekend was postponed, Os Leões' first official fixture came in midweek against Aberdeen in the UEFA Europa League, and now their focus turns to domestic competition.

With coach Rúben Amorim still unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols, assistant coach Emanuel Ferro spoke to the media to preview the meeting with FC Paços de Ferreira on Sunday (6:30pm local time).

"We have had two days in which to get ready for this game, as recovery after the Europa League game affects your preparation time. We are going to make some tactical adjustments against FC Paços de Ferreira that we haven't been able to work on quite as much as if we had more time between games, which means that the players have to understand the situation we are in", said Ferro.

"Recovery work is fundamental for us to perform well, and the tactical aspects have been worked on in the time we have had available."

The Sporting CP assistant added: "We are certain that we are going to field a competitive, recovered team on Sunday, capable of taking to the field with the intention of winning, as always. That's the competitive nature of our team and our players."

Ferro revealed that Nuno Santos will be part of the squad, and could make his full debut this weekend. "The reinforcements that we bring in are always players who we look for to help the team, with specific characteristics to their positions," he underlined.

"The game against Aberdeen went well and we won, which speaks well of the display from our players but -above all- our collective performance."

As for FC Paços de Ferreira, Ferro praised the club's next opponents but also stated he is convinced that Sporting CP will be able to claim the win.

"We will encounter difficulties very similar to what we found against FC Paços de Ferreira last season. They are a very solid team, who at times look to a more direct way of playing and mix that in with passing in the midfield. They have players with a lot of experience in our league. They are a team who know what they want, with well defined processes in place to do it. We believe that we will be able to overcome these difficulties that they provide."