 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 13 December 2011 23:37 |
Europa League previewGroup stage draws to a close Having both sealed their places in the Europa League knockout phase a fortnight ago, Sporting and Braga go into their final match day trips to Lazio and Club Brugge with little to play for, though the latter will be aiming for victory and the top spot it would guarantee. Ben Shave previews both games.
Lazio-Sporting (18.00 Wednesday)Currently sitting just two points off the top in Serie A, Lazio were expected to be Sporting’s toughest test during their Group D campaign, but twelve points from the last five matches has removed any tension from this encounter, at least for the Lions. Lazio need to better FC Vaslui’s result away at Zurich to secure second place, but with top spot already certain and two crucial matches (away at Academica in the Liga and at home to Maritimo in the Taca) looming on the horizon, Domingos has made wholesale changes to his squad, leaving no fewer than ten first-team players in Lisbon.Some of those are injured (Rodriguez, Rinaudo, Izmailov, Jeffren and Matias Fernandez) whilst Elias is not eligible for the Europa League, but the decision to omit Polga, Joao Pereira, Diego Capel and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel was clearly made with upcoming commitments in mind. Instead of risking injuries to his key personnel, Domingos has elected to draft in five players from Ricardo Sa Pinto’s Under-19 squad: defenders Tiago Ilori and Ricardo Esgaio, midfielders Joao Mario and Joao Carlos, and forward Betinho. All five have been involved in Sporting’s successful Next Gen Series campaign, with Betinho in particular looking like the finest prospect to emerge from the club’s famed academy for a number of years.  Elsewhere, the absence of Van Wolfswinkel could signal a start for Diego Rubio. The Chilean youngster impressed during pre-season, but has found opportunities hard to come by since. So despite there being nothing at stake for Sporting in terms of group position, tonight promises to provide a useful barometer of their squad depth heading into the second half of the season. Club Brugge-Braga (20.05 Thursday)With qualification secured but top spot still very much in the balance, Leonardo Jardim and Braga travel to Belgium knowing that a only a victory would guarantee 1st place in Group H, and thus steer them clear of the sides entering the competition after dropping out of the Champions League. Although the Belgian side were victorious at the Quarry on match day two, they have been defeated by Birmingham City at the Jan Breydelstadion during the group phase, and Braga will undoubtedly take confidence from two successive victories over City and Pacos de Ferreira on Friday.Leonardo Jardim’s extensive injury list still limits his options in terms of rotation, and Braga have just two centre backs currently available (Douglao and Ewerton). Elsewhere, Carlao has return from his six-week spell on the sidelines, and the likes of Hugo Viana, Helder Barbosa and Alan are present and correct. Brugges have won five matches on the bounce, and conceded just three goals (against Maribor) during that run. With Birmingham City holding a superior head-to-head over them, there is no room for error for Christoph Daum and co., and Braga can therefore expect a fired-up opposition. Ben Shave |
Sporting is now in a great situation, with virtually nothing to lose (except for a relatively small amount of cash winnings if this game is won), Domingos can give these youth squad players some very important experience in Europe. Can't wait to see how Betinho works out, I really hope this guy can make a valuable contribution to the first team squad. Great to see him getting some experience in a Europa league game that is not a must-win.
Additionally, being in a top spot will allow Sporting to dodge some of the tougher opposition which is being kicked down from the Champions League crash outs (still shocked about Man U)
Can't emphasize how happy I am that Wolfswinkel and Capel are being rested, we will need them for the upcoming weeks against Academica and Maritimo.
Forca Domingos
Forca Sporting
Like jon I was really impressed with Betinho, scores and assists, has good passing and dribbling skills, keeps the ball close to his feet at high speed.
Looking forward to this one.