Rui Borges is going through what is the most delicate period since he was officially presented as João Pereira’s successor in the technical command of Sporting, on December 26, 2024, following a start to the 2026/27 sporting season that has proven to be below expectations, with eight wins, three draws and two defeats after 13 official games, in all competitions.
Now, according to this Thursday’s edition of the newspaper A Bola, the Mirandelenense knows that, at this moment, it is, at the very least, complicated for him to remain in the position for much longer. Still, they are not giving up on turning the situation around, and are preparing normally for the match of the tenth round of the I League, against Casa Pia, which has the starting whistle scheduled for 8:15 pm (Mainland Portugal time) on Friday, at the Municipal Stadium of Rio Maior.
Frederico Varandas, for his part, remains on the side of the 45-year-old coach… without neglecting the future, so, adds the same publication, he has already started to ‘sound out’ the market in search of a possible successor, with the certainty that, whoever is chosen, will have to have proven themselves. And there are already a series of names that, although not discarded, are heading there.
It is the case that Abel Ferreira and Leonardo Jardimwhich, despite the appreciation they deserve from the president of the lions, are, at this moment, ‘impossible missions’, given the high salary they receive, respectively, at Palmeiras and Flamengo, the main candidates for winning the title of Brazilian champion. The first ends his contract in 2027, and the second next December.
Victor Pereira (who has been free since last summer, when he left Nottingham Forest) and Sergio Conceição (in the same condition, after the ‘goodbye’ to Al-Ittihad Jeddah) are other names that have been pointed out with particular assistance to the green and white bench, but they are ‘cards out of the deck’, for profoundly different reasons.
Sporting’s current situation
Sporting, remember, is currently in third place in the I League, with 18 points, nine less than the leader, FC Porto, four less than the second placed, Benfica, and as many as Santa Clara, after, last weekend, being (surprisingly) defeated in the clash with Académico de Viseu, at the José Alvalade Stadium, by 1-2.
The situation is less worrying in the Champions League, as it lives in sixth place (which gives access to the playoff), with six points won out of six possible, as many as Barcelona, Como, Manchester City, Club Brugge and Borussia Dortmund), as a result of two victories (over Galatasaray, 3-1, and Lens, 0-2) and one defeat (against LASK Linz, 2-3).
In the League Cup, they secured qualification for the semi-finals, by receiving and beating Marítimo, on Tuesday, by 2-1, while, in the Portuguese Cup, their entry into the stage (in the fourth round) is scheduled for the weekend of November 21st and 22nd, against União da Serra, at Estádio José Alvalade.
