Nine days after the thrashing of Casa Pia (8-0) and after the postponement of the game against Famalicão, Sporting returns this Wednesday to Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, where they played in the semi-finals of the League Cup, to face União de Leiria, in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup that you can follow, minute by minute, on LIVE on Maisfutebol this Wednesday (8:45 pm).
Ruben Amorim, previewing the game, highlighted the team’s desire to return to play, after the Famalicão controversy, pointing out the Cup semi-finals as one of the club’s objectives. In this sense, the Lions’ coach shouldn’t make it much easier and, apart from Franco Israel’s return to the eleven, as has happened in the premier competition games, Sporting should enter the field with their usual team.
There are still some doubts, as Morita, returning from the Asian Cup, could change the coach’s latest options and even return Pedro Gonçalves to the attack.
The Japanese can, therefore, lead to changes in the midfield, as well as in the attack, a sector in which Amorim has promoted some management around Viktor Gyökeres, with Edwards, Trincão and Paulinho rotating in the eleven.
Check out Sporting’s likely team in the associated gallery
União de Leiria, despite a modest 13th place in the II League, currently has one of the best attacks in the Portuguese Cup, with 23 goals scored in the four games it has played in this competition.
In previewing the game, coach Vaco Botelho da Costa announced that his team will seek to “respond to Sporting’s versatility” and explore “what are the lions’ weakest points”.
União de Leiria’s probable eleven: Kieszek; Bura, Vasco Oliveira and Zié Ouattara; Marco Baixinho, Leandro Silva, Lucho Veja and Pedro Empis; Arsénio Nunes, Leandro Antunes and Jair da Silva.