Juventus head to the Estadio Jose Alvalade to take on Sporting CP in the return leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday. After another Serie A upset last weekend, the Bianconeri will be desperate to protect a slender 1-0 aggregate lead in Lisbon.
Sporting slumped to a narrow 1-0 defeat in Turin last week as Federico Gatti’s late tap-in fired Juventus to a crucial first-leg triumph. However, Ruben Amorim’s side could’ve walked away from the Allianz Stadium undefeated if it wasn’t for Mattia Perin’s heroic stoppage-time saves to deny Hidemasa Morita and Hector Bellerin on the goal-line.
Keen to turn this tie on its head, Amorim fielded an understrength lineup in Saturday’s home league fixture against minnows Arouca. Unfortunately for Sporting, an underwhelming 1-1 draw against the Primeira Liga surprise package derailed their chances in a closely-contested race for Champions League placings.
With second-placed Porto now a whopping nine points above, progressing from this quarter-final tie has become necessary for Sporting. Likewise, Juventus’ European push took another hit on Sunday as Massimiliano Allegri’s second-string squad fell to a 1-0 defeat at perennial mid-table tenants Sassuolo.
Despite another sub-par result, the record-time Italian champions can draw confidence from welcoming Paul Pogba back from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Frenchman’s cameo appearance at the Mapei Stadium could be a morale-boosting factor as Juventus brace themselves for a trident of season-defining matches, each in a different competition.
And while Thursday’s encounter in Lisbon could determine where Juve’s season is going, the upcoming Serie A clash against Napoli remains a significant event in the club’s calendar. Not to mention Allegri’s team will face Inter in the return leg of their evenly-poised Coppa Italia semi-final tie next week.
Match Preview
Sporting CP
Though a narrow one-goal deficit leaves this tie open for the taking, Sporting may not fancy their chances of turning things around at home. Amorim’s men have failed to win any of their last four European outings at the Estadio Jose Alvalade (D2, L2), including a pair of scoring draws against Arsenal and Midtjylland in this season’s Europa League knockouts.
What’s even more concerning for Sporting is that they’ve bowed out in all six previous two-legged ties against Italian opponents in major European competitions. Plus, they’ve suffered elimination from each of their last five European knockout contests after losing the first leg since dispatching Everton in the 2009/10 Europa League round of 16.
Faced with an uphill task of overcoming a first-leg disadvantage and ominously-looking tradition, Sporting will be looking to defy history and advance into the Europa League semi-finals for only the second time.
Player to Watch: Pedro Goncalves
One of the most in-demand players in Europe, Pedro Goncalves, slotted home a late penalty to salvage a point for Sporting against Arouca, taking his tally for the season to 19 goals in all competitions. Three of those strikes came in five Europa League knockout appearances.
Juventus
The first-leg success saw Juventus string together four consecutive European victories without conceding for the first time since the 2016/17 Champions League season. Allegri’s men will have to put that defensive resilience to good use in Lisbon if they’re to arrest a two-match losing run against Portuguese sides away from home.
After succumbing to three one-goal margin defeats on their last five road trips in all competitions (W2), Juventus cannot take anything for granted. And with two of those three losses yielding an identical 1-0 scoreline, it’s hard to rule out the possibility of extra-time or even penalties. But there’s a silver lining.
Juventus have gone unbeaten in all three European clashes against Sporting (W2, D1). That could be enough to settle Allegri’s nerves and provide the Bianconeri with a much-needed psychological boost ahead of arguably their most important game of the season.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic experienced another forgettable afternoon at Sassuolo over the weekend, but he can still be the hero Juventus need to go the distance in Europe. His last two goal contributions in the Europa League came in his side’s away triumphs, so Allegri will hope his striker can turn on his talismanic mode on Thursday.
Team News
Like in Turin, Sporting will be without robust striker Paulinho, Daniel Braganca, and Jovane Cabral, as neither has yet to recover from long-term injuries. However, Amorim has been handed a double squad boost ahead of this game, with Manuel Ugarte and Marcus Edwards set to rejoin the team.
Pacey center-back Jeremiah St.Juste is facing a race against time to regain full fitness, but he’ll likely surrender his place in the starting lineup to Goncalo Inacio.
As for Juventus, Mattia De Sciglio and Moise Kean are in doubt, while first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny won’t be available due to breathing difficulties from the first leg.
But with Pogba back to the fold, Allegri may have an additional weapon in Lisbon as Juve are likely to try to kill the tie off with an all-important second goal.
Sporting CP vs Juventus Potential Lineups
Sporting CP (3-4-3): Antonio Adan; Goncalo Inacio, Sebastian Coates, Ousmane Diomande; Ricardo Esgaio, Pedro Goncalves, Hidemasa Morita, Matheus Reis; Marcus Edwards, Youssef Chermiti, Francisco Trincao.
Juventus (3-5-1-1): Wojciech Szczesny; Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer, Danilo; Juan Cuadrado, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Angel Di Maria; Dusan Vlahovic.
Sporting CP vs Juventus Prediction
Juventus will be content to act as spoilers and concentrate on counterattacking or capitalizing on set pieces, knowing that a draw will be sufficient to secure their place in the final four.
Prediction: Juventus to progress
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