Sporting / PSG – Rui Borges’ press conference

This Tuesday night (9 p.m. on Canal Plus Foot), PSG faces Sporting CP on the Estádio José Alvalade. An necessary assembly for each groups.

PSG returns to the Champions League. For its first C1 match in 2026, the Rouge & Bleu can take a giant step in the direction of direct qualification for the spherical of 16 of the competitors. Third within the standings, Luis Enrique’s staff might be eager to attain a outcome on the pitch of Sporting CP, fourteenth however three factors behind their opponent. Current at a press convention this Monday, the Portuguese coach, Rui Borges, spoke about this assembly towards PSG, in feedback reported by the official Sporting CP web site.

Host PSG at house

“Sporting CP, not solely in house matches, but in addition away, demonstrated what it’s able to, its thought and its persona. I hope we can do it once more towards a terrific staff, maybe the very best in Europe, as a result of they gained this trophy. We have been additionally ‘fortunate’ that the draw pitted us towards two of the three finest groups in Europe, PSG and Bayern Munich. I’d add Arsenal right here. Above all, it should be a supply of pleasure and massive motivation to face the very best and present that we’re as much as this degree. »

Going through PSG, the largest problem of his profession?

“What challenged me probably the most was the primary day I acquired right here. Day-after-day right here is my greatest problem and probably the most lovely day of my life. I’m in a terrific membership and daily I’ve to attempt to be higher, to win extra and add to the historical past of Sporting CP. Competing towards the very best in Europe is in fact a terrific motivation, for the technical staff and for the gamers, to point out that we’re able to competing with the very best, collectively and individually, however the greatest problem is being the pinnacle coach of Sporting CP. »

Are good performances in C1 a supply of motivation?

“The staff responded fantastically within the Champions League matches. She confirmed nice maturity. We’re enjoying at house, the place now we have gained and the place now we have already confronted good groups. We are going to now face a terrific staff: the one who has probably the most possession within the Champions League, who breaks virtually all information in his championship and who has scored probably the most objectives, tied with Dortmund. They’re a staff that could be very robust of their response to shedding the ball, profitable plenty of balls within the attacking midfield and scoring plenty of objectives in these moments. We have now to grasp tips on how to put PSG in peril, as a result of I feel they are going to respect us for the whole lot now we have achieved within the Champions League and in home competitions. »

Defensive solidity at house

“Sporting proved to be a terrific staff, not solely in protection, but in addition in assault. I feel it is going to be a terrific match between two groups who wish to win and who rating plenty of objectives, which demonstrates the standard of each groups. We all know now we have a staff in entrance of us that has a number of the finest gamers on this planet of their positions and it is going to be a problem to neutralize this particular person expertise. The match is performed increasingly more on inspiration and we should handle to neutralize it. »

Defensive group towards this sort of staff

“Our defensive group in Munich was no totally different (3-1 defeat). Edu [Quaresma] performed as a right-back, not a central defender. This gave us different traits, however we did not change techniques. We confronted a giant staff that compelled us to return as a unit extra usually, which isn’t so frequent for us. We even have difficulties towards huge groups and I feel that PSG, who’re a really dynamic staff with plenty of ball possession and midfielders and not using a fastened place, like Vitinha and Ousmane Dembélé, will make it tough for us to place stress on at sure moments. They are going to power us to maneuver again extra usually in the direction of a mid-low block, however not due to a tactical change on our half, however slightly due to their high quality. What we’re doesn’t change, solely sure strategic particular person behaviors change. The opponent pushes us additional in the direction of the again and therefore, generally, the five-a-side line. »