Ruben Amorim launched the first game of the tournament scheduled for Friday (20:15 hours), at Alvalade, against Vizella.

“The time has come. There are different stages and now everything can change in the opposite direction. We have to be very attentive and we’ll face Vizela, who we know from CNS, when they were in SC Braga B. If we’re not at full power, we could lose the match. We asked the players to forget about the Super Cup and focus on the first match. This is a team with a very strong spirit, and they have nothing to lose,” the Lyon coach warned, emphasizing:

“After winning the title, our focus was to show the players that Vesela is an excellent team, that they have nothing to lose and that gives them freedom. But every game is dangerous, last year we proved that anything is possible. Knowing this, the players know what they have to do: We have to outsmart Vizella.”

The fact that this is the first time the team has had an audience at Alvalad is a factor to take into account, but Ruben Amorim says the players are “prepared for it”. “They proved it in the Super Cup. There were no whistles, that’s right, but we conceded the first goal and gave the best response. We know there will be times when the team hears whistles, but that’s part of it. We are Sporting and we have to deal with it normally, ” pointing.

Ruben Amorim, who will miss Pedro Boro, who is also recovering from injury, confirmed that Nuno Mendes, who has a left ankle sprain, will be low in this match.