January 3, 2025, 10:15 pm. Gimarães. Afonso Henriques Stadium
First League. Joute 17
“Gimarães” against “Sporting” (Lisbon)
Potential absentees: Toni Borevković, Bruno Gaspar, Jesus Ramirez, Nelson Oliveira – Gonzalo Inácio, Nuno Santos, Pote, Daniel Bragança
The upcoming meeting between ‘Gimarães’ and ‘Sporting’ might not be the most thrilling in terms of play and status, but it promises to be the most emotional and intriguing for those involved. This is largely due to the fact that the new coach of the Lisbon club had barely left “Gimarães”! Rui Borges has already made his debut for “Sporting” against their rivals “Benfica”, but the match against his former club causes a whirlwind of emotions in him, as it was the first truly significant club in his coaching career . It was a club that believed in him, and management were deeply disappointed by Borges’ decision to leave mid-season. However, one can understand Borges, because such opportunities are simply too good to turn down.
“Gimarães”
Daniel Souza spent almost ten years as assistant to André Villas-Boas, an iconic coach who became president of “Porto”. He started his independent coaching career in 2022 at “Gil Vicente” with commendable success. He further highlighted his potential last season at “Arouca”. However, his time at “Braga” was tarnished by complicated relations with the club’s management. Souza only managed four matches as head coach, winning 2 and drawing 2. He advanced beyond “Maccabi” in the Europa League qualifiers, but had to settle for draws against “Servette” in the first match of the next round and “Estrela” on the first day of the Primeira . Although such a departure cannot be called a failure, the club lacked faith in Souza, which led to a quick departure. This turned out to be a mistake, as “Braga” subsequently encountered significant difficulties under their new coach. At “Gimarães” Souza also started with a draw, but time is running out for him. The club is not performing well in Primeira, so victories must come quickly.
“Sporting”
Rui Borges’ debut at “Sporting” can be described as a fairy tale. He managed to defeat the league leaders and long-time rivals “Benfica” with a score of 1-0. It was not a spectacular victory like those under Ruben Amorim, but after “Sporting” suffered a crisis, winning at all costs became paramount. Therefore, this victory is now considered more important than the quality of the performance. This success propelled “the Lions” to the top of the rankings.
-After a break given to the team on Tuesday, “Sporting” held its first training session of 2025 on Wednesday, where Rui Borges and his team began preparations for “Gimarães”. During the day session, the “Whites-Greens” focus on the trip to Borges’ former team, scheduled for Friday (3rd) at 10:15 p.m. However, the coach, who has just taken the reins from “José Alvalade”, still cannot count on encouraging news before these crucial matches at the start of 2025.
According to a statement released by the club on Wednesday, Rui Borges is still without injured players, namely Nuno Santos (serious knee injury) and Pote (right thigh muscle injury) – both facing long recovery times , as well as Gonzalo Inácio (myalgia) and Daniel Bragança (left calf muscle injury), all under the watchful eye of medical staff.
As a result, the 43-year-old coach decided to call up several young players from the B team to train with the first team, including Bruno Ramos (central defender), Alexandre Brito (defensive midfielder), Samuel Justo (central midfielder), Mauro Couto (right winger), Henrique Arreola (midfielder) and Rafael Nél (forward). According to Borges, everyone is ready to play at a high level. It’s possible that one or more of them will even make their debut during Joust 17.
“Gimarães” vs “Sporting”: Lineup Predictions
“Gimarães” vs “Sporting”: Author’s Prediction
I believe that Rui Borges will manage to secure a second consecutive victory with the Lisbon club. He knows all the strengths and weaknesses of “Gimarães”, having recently worked there, and he understands which players need to be neutralized and how to exploit the offensive power of “Sporting” to break through the opponent’s defense. Therefore, I suggest betting on an away win.
