Juventus vs Sporting Lisbon
Watch Juventus vs Sporting preview, as they meet on the Europa league in the first leg of the quarter finals match.
Sporting travel to Turin having overcome domestic travails to topple Premier League leaders Arsenal and progress on penalties, while Juve’s controversy-hit campaign continued with a more serene passage past Freiburg.
Juventus vs Sporting Preview
Sporting Lisbon are currently in fourth place in the Primeira Liga standings and have not been at their best this season. The away side edged Casa Pia to an important 4-3 victory over the weekend and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture.
Juventus, on the other hand, are in seventh place in the Serie A table at the moment and have been inconsistent so far this season. The Bianconeri slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lazio in their previous game and will need to bounce back this week.
Sporting Lisbon are currently in fourth place in the Primeira Liga standings and have not been at their best this season. The away side edged Casa Pia to an important 4-3 victory over the weekend and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture.
Juventus, on the other hand, are in seventh place in the Serie A table at the moment and have been inconsistent so far this season. The Bianconeri slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Lazio in their previous game and will need to bounce back this week.
Team news and injury
Max Allegri will welcome back two fringe players to his squad on Thursday, as Moise Kean returns from Serie A suspension and Mattia De Sciglio approaches full fitness following an injury.
Midfield maverick Paul Pogba, though, remains sidelined for Juventus, and Leandro Paredes will not be included after a very public bust-up with Allegri during an open training session.
The Tuscan tactician could name a similar side to that which lost against Lazio; ex-Porto defender Alex Sandro and Arkadiusz Milik are fronting the queue for promotion to the hosts’ starting XI.
If the latter does not partner misfiring striker Dusan Vlahovic up front, Angel Di Maria should feature as the Serbian’s support act, having scored four goals in Europe already this term – his joint-best return in a single season.
Sporting, meanwhile, are set to be without attacking duo Jovane Cabral and Paulinho, who are both on the road to recovery from muscular injuries. Youssef Chermiti should therefore lead the line up front.
Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who was sent off in the second leg against Arsenal, must also sit out the Lions’ trip to Turin – in his case due to suspension.
However, Ruben Amorim may now include Hector Bellerin on the bench, following the full-back’s return to training after a knee problem.
Juventus vs sporting head to head stats
Juventus have a good record against Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League and have won one of the two matches played between the two teams, with the other game ending in a draw.
Sporting Lisbon have played 15 games away from home against Italian opponents without winning a single game – they have a worse record in this regard only against Spanish teams.
Juventus have won each of their last three matches in Europe without losing a single goal – their best record on the continental stage since the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League campaign.
Sporting Lisbon have lost only one of their last six games away from home in Europe and have kept an impressive three clean sheets during this period.
Angel Di Maria has scored four goals for Juventus in Europe this season – his joint-best return in European competitions in a single campaign.
Juventus vs Sporting prediction
As we say Juventus has been performing very well in recent season, which could be positive outcome for Juve as they will be expected to win the match against sporting.
