Sporting Lisbon are set to host Juventus in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday. Sporting will need to overturn a one-goal deficit from last week’s first leg, where they were beaten by Federico Gatti’s second-half strike in Turin.
Sporting has not won in their last four home games in Europe, while Juventus have won each of their last four continental matches without conceding a goal, despite losing their last two away games against Portuguese opponents – Porto and Benfica.
Although Juventus is hampered by a 15-point penalty for financial misconduct, they are still in the last four of the Coppa Italia, but are only seventh in Serie A, nine points behind Milan, who occupy the final Champions League place.
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Sporting CP–Juventus match preview
Sporting Lisbon are sitting at fourth place in the Primeira Liga standings and their performance has been uneven so far this season. They drew 1-1 against Arouca in their latest match and will have to elevate their game in this encounter.
Juventus, in contrast, are presently in seventh position in the Serie A standings and have not been performing at their best throughout the season. The Bianconeri suffered a surprising 1-0 loss to Sassuolo in their last outing and will have to recover from that setback in this match.
Despite their struggles in the domestic league and a disappointing performance in the Champions League where they lost twice to Benfica, Juventus have been victorious in their last four matches in Europe and have not conceded a single goal. This is their best streak in Europe since 2013.
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Sporting CP possible starting lineup:
Adan; Inacio, Coates, Diomande; Esgaio, Goncalves, Morita, Reis; Edwards, Chermiti, Trincao
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria; Vlahovic
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Sporting CP–Juventus prediction
Under the guidance of Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus has made significant progress and is eager to win a trophy this season. Angel Di Maria has been a standout performer for the Bianconeri in Europe and will aim to score more goals in this upcoming fixture.
Sporting Lisbon can be a tough opponent, but they face a tough task this week. Juventus is the superior team on paper and is expected to secure the win.
Prediction: Sporting CP 1–2 Juventus
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Date, kick-off time, venue
Sporting Lisbon host Juventus at the Jose Alvalade Stadium on Thursday (April 20 UTC) and 12:30 am on Friday (IST) for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash.
