Sporting Lisbon hosts Juventus in the Europa League quarter-final showdown on Thursday, facing a one-goal deficit from the first leg last week.
Team Form
Sporting Lisbon
Last week Sporting CP suffered an unfortunate loss to Juventus with a 1-0 scoreline, despite being on an unbeaten run of 11 games across all competitions.
However, the team has shown significant improvement in form over the past couple of months, having defeated Premier League leaders Arsenal and Denmark’s Midtjylland in recent matches.
While the current fourth position in the Primeira Liga standings is not where the reigning Portuguese champions aspire to be, their recent victories have bolstered their confidence.
But their chances of qualifying for the Champions League through the league have been dented following a disappointing home draw with Arouca on Sunday. This is a setback, considering their ambition to secure Champions League qualification.
Sporting Lisbon Form (All Competitions): W D W L W
Juventus
Juventus have faced a difficult season in Serie A due to a 15-point penalty for financial misconduct. As a result, they are currently in seventh place in the league, trailing Milan by nine points for the final Champions League spot.
After securing a trademark 1-0 win over Hellas Verona at the beginning of April, the team has suffered consecutive defeats to in-form Lazio and mid-table Sassuolo following a controversial cup draw with rivals Inter.
Winning the Europa League next month would provide a route back into the Champions League, but they will have to overcome a tough Sporting side despite holding a slim first-leg lead. Regardless, Juventus hopes to turn their season around and end it on a high note.
Juventus Form (All Competitions): W D L W L
Squad Report
Sporting Lisbon
Sporting CP is currently facing some injury issues ahead of their match. They are still without their first-choice forward, Paulinho, Daniel Braganca, and Jovane Cabral.
Additionally, if defender St. Juste cannot recover in time, it would further weaken the team’s defensive capabilities.
Juventus
During the first leg against Sporting CP, Juventus’ first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had to be substituted due to chest pain. As a result, regular cup keeper Mattia Perin took his place.
In more positive news, both Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa have recently recovered from injuries and are available for selection.
Sporting Lisbon’s expected starting lineup:
Adan; Inacio, Coates, Diomande; Esgaio, Goncalves, Morita, Reis; Edwards, Chermiti, Trincao
Juventus’ expected starting lineup:
Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria; Vlahovic
Head to Head
Juventus and Sporting CP have played against each other four times. Of those four matches, Juventus have emerged victorious twice, Sporting has won once, and one match ended in a draw.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Thursday, April 20
Time: 07:00 pm, UTC
Venue: Jose Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon
Prediction
With the experience of coach Allegri and the talented team he has at his disposal, Juventus will be looking to frustrate a Sporting CP side that has struggled to replicate last season’s title-winning form and seems to be more vulnerable these days.
Given that a draw would be enough to take Juventus through to the semi-finals, the Italian side may focus on playing defensively and hitting Sporting on the counterattack or capitalizing on set-piece situations.
