Fotis Ioannidis was injured and was forced to leave the field before half an hour in the League Cup match – Photo: IMAGO
Fotis Ioannidis was injured and was forced to leave the field before half an hour in the League Cup match – Photo: IMAGO
Ioannidis injured the internal collateral ligament of his right knee again in the match against Vitória de Guimarães and recovery requires full recovery of the problem. As it is not a serious injury, the medical department does not indicate a specific timeframe for return as the problem requires caution and a risk-free return.
Fotis Ioannidis will be forced to stop. The 26-year-old Greek striker — who left in the 24th minute of the game against Vitória de Guimarães for the League Cup — once again injured the internal collateral ligament of his right knee (a problem suffered during the Azores’ match against Santa Clara, back in November last year) and will follow a rigorous recovery plan to be able to return in the best conditions.
Ioannidis left the match with Vitória de Guimarães injured very early – Photo: IMAGO
Although it is not a serious injury — but one that led to almost a month’s layoff between November and December — it is a problem that requires extra care, requiring total recovery so as not to run the risk of worsening the injury. The Leonine medical department, moreover, at this stage, does not even point out a concrete deadline for the attacker’s return in full condition. It will mainly depend on the evolution of the next few days. An absence that could even be shorter, although, from what was possible to ascertain, its use in Friday’s match with Casa Pia will be practically ruled out.
Being an important element in the squad — accounting for six goals and three assists in 21 matches — the reevaluation will be daily and Rui Borges will also not run risks of using the striker who could be decisive for the intense cycle that approaches, until the end of this month, with games against PSG (20th), in Alvalade, Arouca (24th) and Ath. Bilbao (28th), away from home, two of three matches that will determine the future of the lions in this edition of the Liga dos Champions.
But it’s not all bad news for Rui Borges. If Ioannidis is ruled out for the duel with the Casapianos, Diomande received the green light to be an option. The Ivorian international, eliminated from CAN after the 2-3 defeat to Egypt, is back in the options and ‘resolves’ a problem for the coach who, at the moment, only had one solution available given the injuries to Debast and Eduardo Quaresma.
Diomande arrives in Portugal today and tomorrow will be reinstated in the working group that will begin preparations for Friday’s meeting. The Ivorian will partner with Gonçalo Inácio (returned after suspension in the League Cup) in the Lions’ defensive axis, with Matheus Reis moving to the left, taking the place left by the suspended Maxi.
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
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