Diomande could give Rui Borges a real headache at Sporting - Porto | OneFootball

Ousmane Diomande remains a doubt for the classic match between Sporting and Porto. The international defender for Ivory Coast has been dealing with physical problems, after an injury sustained in the match of the first round of the Liga Portugal, against Casa Pia, but he may make his return to the pitch against the blues and whites, on the next 30th of August.

According to information advanced by the newspaper A Bola, the Performance Unit of the Alvalade Club has gone into countdown mode to rehabilitate the 21-year-old center back, aiming for his return to the technical options of coach Rui Borges, largely thanks to the importance he has in defensive missions.

Since his injury sustained on the past 8th of August, Ousmane Diomande's place in the starting 11 of Sporting has been occupied by central defender Zeno Debast, who due to his physique can't have such a strong presence in the aerial game. An example of this is the last match against Nacional, where defensive set pieces caused concern throughout the match. In fact, this is how the islanders managed to open the scoring.

For this reason, the 'number 26' of the lions has the status of undisputed starter in the technical options of Rui Borges, as was already the case in the times when Ruben Amorim was in charge of the team. The defender arrived at Alvalade in the winter market of 2022/23, immediately securing a place in the initial options.

This season, with the Sporting jersey, Ousmane Diomande - valued at 45 million euros - participated in two matches. The international center back for Ivory Coast was a starter in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, playing 68 minutes against Benfica; and also against Casa Pia, being on the field for 58', before getting injured.

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