Amorim rejects revealing whether Esgaio will face Varzim in the Portuguese Cup – Observer
Sporting coach Ruben Amorim rejected this Saturday to reveal whether Ricardo Esgaio will play against Varzim, in the third round of the Portuguese Football Cup, but assured that he will not manage the squad.
Asked, at the Academia de Alcochete, if the best way to protect the side that is in the “user eye” among the fans, after being sent off in the Champions League game against Marseille, the coach referred to the revelation of his decision for Sunday, when he announces the starting eleven.
“Is easy. It’s waiting for Varzim’s game and you’ll see what was the best way to manage the [Ricardo] evasion. One day to go and you will have this answer“, shot Amorim, in a press conference ahead of the match.
Asked several times about the player, which the coach assured, on Wednesday, “always protect” and be one of his “situation”favorites“, Amorim was almost always evasive in his answers, but he assumed that “there will also be no management” of the squad, because he has to “manage the moment”.
“And the moment tells us that we have to win, that we are playing with a team that has not yet lost, that the division [competitiva] does not matter in the Portuguese Cup and three years ago Sporting was eliminated by Alverca, in the same division. We know the problems that this brings and we have only one objective, which is to win, and we will present the best eleven for this game”, he reiterated.
Still, the “best eleven” must be quite conditioned, since several players in the squad were affected by “a virus” that will limit or prevent the use of some.
“O [Pedro] Porro is more or less, he doesn’t know if he’s going to play, but he’s different from Arthur [Gomes], which in principle can not play. Nazinho recovered, but he also has the virus. O [Diego] Callai cannot play either”, said Amorim.
Casualties to add to St. Juste, who “can’t”, and Coates, who “didn’t recover” of the injury suffered against Marseillewhich will not prevent goalkeeper Franco Israel from taking over and reinforcing the leadership role of other elements of the squad.
“Regarding Frank [Israel] and Adán, we thought a lot that at this moment we needed a reference, and not having Seba [Coates]that Adán could play, but Franco will play because he gave a great response, he is very adult and because [Gonçalo] Inácio will be the ‘captain’ and he needs these moments, to be the team leader”, he added.
Furthermore, Sotiris Alexandropoulos”will play because Ugarte is all torn up and needs time“, continued the technician, while Jovane Cabral “has a very small time limit” to be used, but “it must already be equipped to see if it enters”.
Sporting visit Varzim on Sunday, for the third round of the Portuguese Cup, scheduled to start at 19:00, at Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, a home borrowed from the Poveiros who have their grounds under construction.
Ruben Amorim’s team seeks the rebellion of a season of “ups and downs”, after two defeats with Marseille (4-1 in France and 2-0 in Alvalade), for the Champions League, with a victory in the I Liga in the middle, over Santa Clara (2-1), in a meeting where the coach confessed his displeasure with the team’s display.
The “lions” are still in sixth place in the I Liga, where they have already conceded one and three defeats, while the two League games have already conceded one and three draws, they have not yet been hired and have already eliminated Feirense (1-0), from the II League, in the second round of the Portuguese Cupin addition to Vila Meã (2-1 after extra time) in the first round.