Rui Borges is grappling with several absences ahead of a crucial match in Germany.
And now? This question has, in recent hours, stirred the expression on the face of Sporting’s coach, Rui Borges, who is preparing, with several key players absent, for a visit to a dominant Bayern Munich in 2025/2026.
The derby against Benfica, for the championship , brought a series of added difficulties to the Lions, beyond what is expected by any opponent visiting the Allianz Arena in Munich, where no one has even scored a point this season, either in the Bundesliga or the Champions League.
In addition to long-term injured players Nuno Santos and Zeno Debast, Francisco Trincão, Geovany Quenda, and Pedro Gonçalves have been added to Sporting’s injury list . And to these must be added Georgios Vagiannidis, Gonçalo Inácio, and Geny Catamo, who are doubtful. All of them are key players for the team.
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With so many players absent, the starting eleven that Sporting will field in Munich shouldn’t be too difficult to predict, especially since Rui Borges doesn’t have many options at this point.
Sporting’s likely starting eleven: Rui Silva, Iván Fresneda, Eduardo Quaresma, Ousmane Diomande, Maxi Araújo, Morten Hjulmand, João Simões, Hidemasa Morita, Alisson Santos, Geny Catamo and Luis Suárez.
BAYERN MUNICH’S PROBABLE STARTING ELEVEN: Manuel Neuer, Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Josip Stanisic, Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Michael Olise, Lennart Karl, Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane.
The Bayern Munich-Sporting match, from the sixth round of the Champions League group stage, takes place this Tuesday (5:45 pm), in Germany, and can be followed minute-by-minute on Maisfutebol .