Without Zalazar... The cards in Rui Borges' sleeve for Lens-Sporting

Nin everything was a sea of roses. Sporting took the best on Sporting Braga last Friday for 1-3, but Rui Borges left the Quarreira with a new ‘headache’, since Rodrigo Zalazar contracted a muscle injury, after having ‘jumped’ from the bench of alternates to score a goal and ‘force’ a goal of Bernardo Fontes, to turn to a situation that was seen adverse.

Just returned from the Uruguayan team (where, a little more than 72 hours earlier, he had contributed with a straight shot to the shot applied to India by 1-6), the creative entered Silas Andersen's place at 58 minutes, and ended up being surrendered by João Simões, at 84, in clear physical difficulties, and is almost certain low for the game of the second round of the Champions League league league, before Lens.

Now, Coach Mirandelense has managed the 27-year-old player to think precisely of the trip to Stade Bollaert-Delelis, but, in the face of this scenario, he will have no choice but to once again account for life, to guarantee three more points this time, without the summer reinforcement, which, remember, has been acquired precisely from the arsenalists, in return for an amount of EUR 30 million.

Who plays Rodrigo Zalazar?

One of the most likely scenarios is to return ownership to Flavius Gonçalves. The Portuguese sub-21 international has been used mostly on the left side of the attack, but given the good notes left by Nestory Irankunda, in Minho, it can emerge in a more central position, in support of Luis Suárez.

The alternative will be to bet on John Simons, which also proved to be at a good level, in the Pedreira, in the duel that marked the return to the main team, which no longer represented since April, when he was submitted to a surgical intervention with the aim of breaking a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of the right foot.

Silas Andersen was not exactly happy, in the visit to Sporting Braga, but can repeat the presence in the initial eleven. In a more remote scenario, solutions such as Pedro Lima, Jesse Derry or even Louis Guilherme, players who have had less minutes since the start of the new 2026/27 sports season.

‘Heavy people’ will return

Still, Rui Borges has reason to smile, since, with the exception of Rodrigo Zalazar (and Nuno Santos, who continues to look for the best physical indices, after a succession of muscle problems), will have the entire squad at his disposal, for the game that has initial whistle scheduled for 17:45 p.m. (Time of Continental Portugal) of Tuesday.

Like the Uruguayan, also the compatriot Maxi Araújo and the Colombian Luis Suárez were managed, in the clash with Sporting Braga, due to the proximity of the meetings of the respective selections, but proved to be ‘fresh’ (by the way, the advanced even made the taste at the foot) and everything points to the recovery of the title.

It must also be borne in mind that Zeno Debast, who has served punishment, is back to the options of the green and white helmsman, which means that Eduardo Lent, Giorgios Vagiannidis and Fotis Ioannidis should have the ‘days counted’ in the initial eleven, even if other moves are not discarded.