Everything Rui Borges said ahead of Nacional v Sporting (2025/26) | OneFootball

Rui Borges, the green and white team's coach, spoke to journalists at a press conference previewing Nacional - Sporting, this Friday, August 22. The match is scheduled for next Saturday, at 6:00 PM, at the Choupana. Read here everything the Lions' coach said.

"It ends up being something motivating for their growth, for believing. That's what happened a bit last year. In the initial phase, there was more adaptation, trying to better understand the idea. I think they're looking for that. More consistency in the game idea every time. Five or six players left the starting eleven and are looking for the best dynamics. Despite everything, they're very difficult at home. I've been there before and I know what it's like to play at the Choupana. It's always difficult. Due to the weather, which we don't know what can happen, the humidity, the heat... We have to try to be prepared for that. What we control, we have to be prepared for. Last year, Nacional was the sixth or seventh team with the most shots on target. They're very objective, vertical, and are looking for their best moment. They'll be super motivated to face a champion Sporting. Just for that, any team would be motivated. Linking that to the stadium, to the difficulty of playing at the Choupana. I believe we'll be prepared."

Rumors from the market

"They're called up for tomorrow, the rest you should ask Bernardo [Palmeiro]. My job is to train and keep them focused on the game with Nacional. I work at a big club, here the day-to-day is always talking about entrances and exits. If I focused on that, I wouldn't train. The two of them are at their maximum strength, waiting for the coach's choices."

Rayan Lucas' situation

"Let's take it one step at a time. He's a kid who came to the B team. We see a lot of potential and believe in him. For the B team, he would be a more mature and capable player, despite his young age, to help the kids who are here. He's a kid from the national team, who will likely be at the Under-20 World Cup in a month. We're going to develop him. But he has to understand, and has understood, that he's been growing. He likes to listen, understand, and works very well. But he's adapting to the demands of European football, Sporting's demands. He's given a good response in training and trains with us most of the time. Despite being new, he has a different maturity. He's capable of giving a good response and I believe that, in the future, he can be important to the A team. But he's a B team player, he came to help the B team. And we're trying to help him so that in the future he can become a player for the main team. Like him, and any other player. But he's a national team player and that already says a lot about his quality. We believe in what he can give in the future. He's very humble, likes to work and listen."

"All of them have given that response, to be able to play and be starters. Vagiannidis was our signing, it's natural that there's speculation about whether he'll play or not. I see him happy to be here and I already said that last week. He left his comfort zone, his country, came to a different demand. He's had daily growth, adapting very well. Sometimes he's still a bit shy and that's noticeable. But he'll be prepared for the coach's decisions. And I'll say it again: now we're playing week by week, later we'll play every three days. And then everyone will have to play. There's no other solution. Nobody is a robot, they're all human beings. And all of them will be starters then. Vagiannidis, Ivan [Fresneda]... Vagiannidis came on at halftime because the game was more comfortable, Fresneda already had a yellow card... We chose that variant. Two players who are prepared and have given a good response."

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.