Hi and welcome to our Forum! This is what football should always be about 
[b]THE DRAW
- What were your thoughts when you realized you were drawn into group F with Dortmund? Did you care at all or had you wished for another team from pot 2 (bar Porto for obvious reasons)? If the latter: Which one and why?[/b]
I’d rather play against an easier side, though Pot 2 had pretty strong teams. Maybe Sevilla was the weakest team. But we knew if we want to be in the Champions League we have to play against the best sides in Europe, and it’s great to be back among the best. We’ve been out of this competition for too much time, due to our terrible recent years (2013 was the worst of them, but we elected a new chairman and now we’re back on track and stronger than we ever were in the last decades.
THE GAMES
2. Do you have any recommendation for travelling BVB fans, i.e. restaurants and bars in which they’ll be welcomed, ideally in the city center or close to the stadium? Any Lisbon sights which you consider must-have-seen for fans who fly in and out on match day?
Bars: You should visit Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodré, two of Lisbon’s most pleasant sites by night. I personally prefer the first one.
Restaurants: Try Tico-Tico, not far from the Stadium by subway (Alvalade Station, green line; then 3 minutes walking). Great portuguese food, not very expensive for a german and well-located if you don’t have much time. Also O Magriço, closer to the Stadium (though it will be full with our supporters. But they’re good people!).
Other points of interest: If you arrive and leave on the same day, it’s good to stay near the Stadium. The neighbourhood is not very tourist-oriented, but you can visit our Shop, do a Stadium Tour and visit our Museum. We’re the second most successfull Sports Club in Europe, behind Barcelona, with over 14 000 trophies. Check it out (unfortunately there’s no English option by now…): http://www.sporting.pt/en/node/41010
3. Do you plan to travel to Dortmund for the 2nd leg?
I would love it, but it’s pretty far and expensive. I’m looking forward to buy tickets to the Madrid fixture, though.
4. Guess the result of the 1st (Sporting-BVB) and 2nd leg (BVB-Sporting).
I’m realistic, you’re better than us. But, on the other hand, we have the strongest squad in 20 years and the best coach in… I don’t know, I don’t want to be unfair, but… 50 years? Still, you have great players and it’s going to be hard for us to get any points.
We had a ridiculous 2012/13 European season (and domestic as well…) and we missed the European competitions the next year, so now we’re paying the price and must face the fact that we’re in Pot 4. I risk two BVB wins: a 1-2 in Lisbon and a 3-1 in Dortmund. Our goal is to get to the Europa League’s round of 32 and then see what happens, usually I’m not an optimistic but this year I think we can do well in Europa League, if it’s the case.
YOUR CLUB / TEAM
5. Unlike in the Bundesliga, there’s an actual title race in Liga NOS. Do your club execs / Jorge Jesus (JJ) consider the Portuguese league title more than or equally important to success in the Champions League? Can we expect your strongest team on the field or would you expect that some players get rested?
The league is our top priority. I wouldn’t mind loosing 5-0 with you twice and be champions. The last title we won was back in 2002 and it’s time we win it back. It’s not been easy: just 3 years ago we finished 7th, the worst season of our History. We lost time and space among Portuguese football as well, as the club almost ended in 2013. Porto took our place in the last decades, and until 3 or 4 years ago they were the best Portuguese side, thanks to some quality players and managers, of course, but mainly because of a corruption scheme (see here: Apito Dourado - Wikipedia).
When they were caught (but not punished) they got scared, so in the last few years Benfica took their place and are now the main backstage power, pulling the strings from behind the curtains. I don’t wanna bother you with stories of our minor league, but last year’s championship was outrageous, and showed that in Portugal it may not be enough to be the best team. In fact, we were the best side in the country (we won 3-0 in Benfica stadium, 3-1 in Porto and broke the record of points in one season in Portuguese football, with 86) but sadly an ordinary Benfica won the title, with rumours of players of other teams being bribed to make the “eagles’” way to the title easier. Also (and this was proven), it became known that their chairman always offered 4 dinners per game with no price limit for each referee, assistant referee, delegate and observer who was nominated to their matches (both A and B squads, meaning 28 meals every week). So, in just a few months, they went from being openly criticised by their fans and having their coach almost fired, to winning 15 (?) matches in a row, with some expressive results and a few “friendly” referees.
The truth is Benfica didn’t want to loose last year’s league by any means because we had signed their former coach (their board wanted to prove they were right when they let JJ go), and also because 2016 is an election year in Benfica and their chairman really wants to get reelected. Yep, sadly that’s how it works here. So, I repeat, the league is our top priority. I wouldn’t be surprised if JJ made 2 or 3 changes when we play you, but don’t expect a reserve team at all.
6. Can you characterize Sporting’s / JJs’ style of football? What is his preferred formation, if any? Is he adapting his tactics to competitions (Portuguese league versus Champions League; league or group matches versus knock out matches) or does he follow his ideas no matter what? Does he like to rotate players, does he give youth players a chance?
A very dynamic, attacking-minded 4-4-2. I think our midfielders will be William, Adrien, Markovic (right wing) and Bryan Ruiz (left wing), but I wouldn´t be surprised at all if JJ played Elias instead of Markovic against you and Real. He is a central midfielder that can also play in the wing, but has more defensive concerns than Makrovic and may be useful against strong teams.
Historically we are seen as the best youth academy in Portugal and one of the best in the world, but JJ likes to have more experienced players, so our team is a bit of a mix between youth and experience. Also, until 2013 we only played with our young starlets, now we have the money to buy some players who can make a difference, so that’s what we’ve been doing. That has been one of the changes that has put us once again on top of Portuguese football - because there can be no champions with a squad full of 20 year-olds, even if they’re good.
7. Who are your key players our lads should ‘fear’ the most (bar W. Carvalho), and which qualities make them so important? Which players are a potential liability and why?
JJ is a great coach, so the dynamics of the team are our biggest strength. For the first time since I watch football, I see Sporting with the abillity to “choke” any Portuguese side for 90 minutes if needed, until we score. It was the same when JJ was in Benfica, so it’s not luck at all. Among the players I know well (new signings not included), William is pretty good, with great vision and good tackling skills. He’s a defensive midfielder though, so don’t expect him to win games by himself. Adrien is also a good player, but far from being a star. His main abillity is his bravery. Then we have Rui Patrício, who won the Euro 2016 Best Goalkeeper Award and is in the best form of his career, and the intelligence and technique of Bryan Ruiz.
We’ve replaced almost every player in the attack, so at the moment I don’t know who is our key player. But Markovic has a tricky dribbling and pace (we know him from Benfica, he played there with JJ), and Joel Campbell is an upgrade to our former second striker Teo Gutierrez. As for Bas Dost, I think you know him better than we do. :mrgreen: He’s no top class stricker for the Bundesliga, but I think he can do interesting things here in Portugal. Still, he has the task of making us forget about Slimani. Won’t be easy…
On the other hand, our biggest problem seems to be the right and left backs (João Pereira and Schelotto on the right, Bruno César and Marvin Zeegelaar on the left). They’re alright to play in our league, but I’m concerned with the games against you, Real, Benfica, Porto and Braga. Well, we beat Porto last week, but still…
THE BUNDESLIGA and BORUSSIA DORTMUND
8. Do you follow or watch the Bundesliga, bar games of Bayern Munich?
Yes, I saw some matches of Bayern, mainly because of Guardiola, and also some excerpts of your team, Bayer, Schalke and others. I find the Bundesliga very interesting, the reason I don’t see your league more often is due to the lack of competition. But hey, this year you’ve made some great signings, maybe you’ll surprise Bayern again 
9. Who’s the BVB player you ‘fear’ the most if any, and why?
Reus, Aubameyang, Gotze, Schurrle… you name it. But above all, I fear the difference of pace and resistance between Portuguese and German teams. Your players are very well-prepared in terms of fitness. Even William and Adrien are most likely to face difficulties dealing with your strong midfield and fast players. Even against Bayer Leverkusen, last year, that was very obvious, and they’re not as good as you are. The difference is huge, we just aren’t used to play week after week against well-prepared, quality players. In Germany, even Darmstadt or Leipzig have some qualities. In Portugal it’s always Sporting, Benfica and Porto, then Braga, sometimes Guimarães followed by some one-year-wonder, and then 12 teams with 9 defenders trying not to concede and wishing for the 90th minute since the referee’s first whistle.
10. How do you rate Rafa Guerreiro (who happens to be a Benfica fan :mrgreen: ) ? Has he been on your radar before his rise on the international stage at the Euro 2016?
In last year’s U-21 European Championship he was the weakest link of our team, but this year he made a great Euro. He’s a young, very attacking-minded left-back and he’s going to improve even more. Some time ago there were rumours he could sign for Porto, but he was already expensive. You made a great signing, he’s just not a finished player yet and he will have to work on his deffensive abillities. Didn’t know he supports Benfica, but it doesn’t surprise me.
