Islam Slimani’s impressive record against Porto was already a good story for the pre-match articles. But on Monday, the Portuguese press found out there was another Slimani angle for the match tonight.
Islam Slimani is currently living in the same hotel that Porto are staying in.
Yes, ‘sleeping with the enemy’ was O Jogo’s predictable, and yet commendable, pun as they had a chat with the player.
“It’s a good home, isn’t it?,” he told O Jogo reporters.
“I liked the Portuguese sun better. There are just clouds here. But the rest has been good, excellent team spirit, fans. I was welcomed well and already scored goals, which is what the strikers live off.”
Slimani said the club didn’t allow him to talk about the match, and O Jogo regretted not keeping him in the interview for longer, because the player would’ve bumped into the Porto squad.
Another Portuguese newspaper A Bola has a bigger article, where they describe Slimani as ‘Porto’s worst nightmare at day and night’ and call the striker’s presence at the hotel a ‘crushing image’.
The newspaper says that many Porto fans were relieved when Slimani was sold to Leicester, but one month later, he’s ‘sleeping under the same roof and prepared to continue with this torture game, this time alongside Jamie Vardy’.
Slimani’s last game for Sporting was against Porto last month. He obviously scored a goal, and left the pitch in tears.
He has six goals in eight matches against the Dragons.
