Between the Super Cup, the League matches and the Champions League, Sporting has so far had 11 official matches in the 2021/2022 season.
And if it is true that so far Ruben Amorim has already given chances to almost all the players who are part of the main squad – goalkeepers, Joao Virginia and Andre Paulo, as well as young midfielder Dario Isogo are still missing – then there are some players who keep Untouchable status in the list.
He was five of them in each game (the exception was Coates who had to make a penalty match and failed to make his Champions League debut against Ajax), and he was always the coach’s first choice and it depends on the minutes of competition leading up to the moment. We are talking about goalkeeper Adan, defender and captain Coates, midfielders Joao Balinha and Matthews Nunes and striker Paulinho. Pilares de Amorim, a kind of backbone for a lion who might be resting in the Portugal Cup match, against Belenenses.
If these matches, against teams developing in the secondary divisions of the Portuguese football building, are almost always used by the coaches to manage the team and give chances to the less-used players, then the Leo Five should recharge their batteries in this match, and consider the duel with Besiktas on the League Champions, which would give Sporting their first and required win in the group stage. Adam is the only holistic.
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