Photographing football (soccer) for the first time tomorrow

I know this probably gets asked a lot, and I’ve checked previous posts having already gathered some great info. Just thought I’d ask with my specific case.

Being friends with one of the players of the local club (Portugal’s Liga 3, third national tier), I asked him if he could get me in to take some pictures of him on one of the games, and he managed to get me credentialed for tomorrow by the club. **Both him and the club know I am a decent photographer that never shot football**. Expectations aren’t zero, but they are just giving me the opportunity in exchange for some free pictures. I don’t know what kind of access or designated spot I’ll have.

My experience as a photographer is mostly motorsport, live performance (concerts, dance and theatre) and events. Lately I’ve been trying to get into photojournalism, hence asking my friend to cover the game.

As for the gear:

Camera:

- Sony a6700 (APS-C sensor, but pretty capable)

I’m trying to borrow a second a6700 from a friend to avoid lens changes, but still don’t know if I’ll have it.

Lenses (longest to widest):

- Sony 70-350mm f4.5-6.3 (thinking this will be on the camera for most of it, game is in the afternoon and it’s going to be sunny, so the aperture won’t be a limitation)

- Viltrox 75mm f1.2

- Sigma 56mm f1.4

- Sigma 18-50mm f2.8

- Sony 11mm f1.8

I’m also going to bring my tripod/monopod and a little stool, if they allow me.

Now the questions:

- what are the best spots? In between the goal and corner? Sidelines?

- should I capture the fans? Their season has been pretty abysmal so far, I don’t think the atmosphere will be great. They’re fighting against relegation, so emotion will be there one way or the other.

- should I bring my laptop? I’m pretty proficient working with Photo Mechanic and delivering pictures live even, but I guess it could be cumbersome for my first time in a stadium. My camera is limited in that sense as well, but I can make it work with my phone at half time or something as well.

- any other tips for this unpredictable environment, considering I still don’t know what kind of access I’ll have?

Thank you for any help!