The Portuguese champions, Sporting, will visit Borussia Dortmund at 20.45 in the second leg of the Champions League playoff round, but coach Rui Borges already seems to have given up.It’s true that Sporting faces a massive 0-3 deficit and has slim chances of progressing, but should coaches have the right to write off their teams, as Borges appears to have done by leaving out his key striker, Viktor Gyokeres, along with Francisco Trincao? This decision may spark debates among Lisbon fans, but Sporting’s coach defended himself by calling it a pragmatic choice.Francisco Trincão and Viktor Gyokeres did not travel to Germany and are out against Dortmund. pic.twitter.com/5oJM0pmUYc— All Things Alvalade (@ATAlvalade) February 18, 2025 “Our priority is everything. We’ve had some injuries and had to make tough decisions. The absences are simply a matter of squad management. We have an important league match on Sunday. Hjulmand and Diomande won’t be available then, and Viktor is slowly getting back into rhythm. Trincão is tired, and we must be cautious. Regardless of the result in Lisbon, we would have made these decisions anyway, as a precaution. The players always want to respond well,” Borges stated, adding:”This isn’t our most difficult moment. We’ve faced challenges before and already had some players unavailable. The challenge was to find solutions without exposing others to unnecessary risks. Regardless, this isn’t the time to complain. I have to find solutions. We’re going into the match with a strong desire to win. The result shouldn’t be our focus, but rather our performance.”De 🏡 para o Signal Iduna Park ✈️ #BVBSCP #UCL pic.twitter.com/wy888P82Ue— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) February 19, 2025 Many fans were shocked when they heard that Gyokeres—who has scored 34 goals this season—would miss the match, though they understood the delicate situation. However…”I haven’t thrown in the towel. This had to be done, and it’s done. Now, I can count on Hjulmand and Diomande, whereas I won’t have them available against Aves. It is what it is,” said Portuguese strategist.He will also be without Daniel Bragança, Geny Catamo, Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Goncalves, and Nuno Santos.##EDITORS_CHOICE##On the other side, Borussia Dortmund’s coach, Niko Kovac, has only recently taken charge of the team, but aside from their dominant victory in Lisbon, things haven’t been going smoothly. Changes in the squad are expected, as the Croatian coach was far from pleased with their recent 2-0 loss to Bochum.He will be missing Felix Nmecha and Filippo Mane, while Carney Chukwuemeka has resumed training and will be part of the squad. Julian Ryerson and Salih Özcan are expected to replace Niklas Sule and Marcel Sabitzer in the lineup.🎙️ Niko Kovac: “The team is able to play at a really high tempo and bring a lot of intensity. The head is the decisive factor at the moment. That will only improve with a sense of achievement in games and training. That’s where wins help the most.” #BVBSCP— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 18, 2025 Still, Borussia holds a commanding 3-0 lead, which they should not squander under any circumstances.”We are approaching this match just as we did in Lisbon, with full concentration. Regardless of the result there, we won’t underestimate our opponent. We find ourselves in a tough situation overall, so we’re trying to bring as much positivity as possible—it’s important to strengthen team spirit. My career has seen many ups and downs, and the most important thing is to get back to our best level. Sometimes, that takes time. But crises can also pass much faster than expected,” said Niko Kovac.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – PLAYOFFSReturn legTuesdayMilan – Feyenoord 1-1 (0-1)/Gimenez 1 – Carranza 73/Feyenoord win 2-1 on aggAtalanta – Club Brugge 1-3 (0-3)/Talbi 3, 27, Jutgla 45+3 – Lookman 46/Brugge win 5-2 on aggBayern – Celtic 1-1 (0-0)/Kuhn 63 – Davies 90+4/Bayern win 3-2 on aggBenfica – Monaco 3-3 (1-1)/Akturkoglu 22, Pavlidis 76 pen, Kokcu 84 – Minamino 32, Ben Seghir 51, Ilenikhena 81/Benfica win 4-3 on aggWednesday 20.45: (1.95) Dortmund (3.50) Sporting (3.90)23.00: (1.18) PSG (7.25) Brest (15.0)23.00: (2.30) PSV (3.45) Juventus (3.05)23.00: (1.85) Real Madrid (3.80) Man.City (4.00)***odds are subject to change***
