New arrivals fuel Sporting belief

Silverware
The Lions finished runners-up behind FC Porto last season, but did get the better of the perennial title-winners in the Taça de Portugal to end the campaign on a high. Coach Paulo Bento has since brought back Sporting old boys Marco Caneira and Fabio Rochemback along with Portugal forward Hélder Postiga from Porto – and he hopes the trio of new arrivals will make the difference this term. "The conditions are in place to have a better season than the last one," he said. "We've been given the tools to do so and now it's up to us to build a stronger team."

Friendly win
Sporting kicked off their summer training schedule with a 3-0 friendly success against Clube Atlético do Cacém, and have plenty of time to fine-tune before the Liga gets under way with a home match against promoted CD Trofense on 24 August. "At Sporting there is always pressure," continued Bento. "When things didn't go to plan in recent years people started to demand more from us and this year will be no different. Pressure is good; we want it and we have to deal with it."

Leading targets
Having both landed his leading targets and retained Portugal midfielders João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso despite interest from leading foreign clubs, Bento can point to a successful summer in the transfer market. "The main idea with the policy this season was to bring back some players who identified with the club and the Portuguese league," said Bento. "We wanted more mature players and that's what we've got. Now we have to be both organised and create a strong team spirit if we want to win the league."