Sporting CP-Juventus is a match valid for the return leg of the Europa League quarterfinals and is played Thursday at 9 p.m.: TV, probable formations, predictions.
For the second time this season a Portuguese lineup was about to play a trick on Juventus. If in the Champions League, in October, it was Benfica that had put Massimiliano Allegri’s men in great difficulty, beaten by the red and white both in the first leg and in the return leg, in the first round of the Europa League quarterfinals Sporting CP confirmed that they were a tough nut to crack for the Bianconeri, although compared to the challenge Roger Schmidt’s team the outcome of the Allianz Stadium match was different.
If the Old Lady was able to avoid the worst on an evening that was complicated to say the least, in which Sporting repeatedly came close to scoring and created several headaches for Danilo and his teammates thanks to its dribbling ability, it was mainly thanks to its two goalkeepers. Two, yes, because starter Szczesny at the end of the first half was forced out due to an illness – in the end, fortunately, it was nothing serious – leaving room for deputy Perin, the real man of the match in the match, with two resounding saves in the salvage. Juventus thus came out on top again by a “short face,” thanks to a goal by defender Gatti midway through the second half. The final result (1-0) is probably the only positive aspect within a match that saw the team led by the Livorno coach often struggling. And which, above all, does not let them sleep soundly ahead of the return leg. Juve that, however, in Lisbon will also be able to take the luxury of a draw to detach a pass for the semifinals: a situation similar to the one with Freiburg in the round of 16. In case of passage of the round, we recall, the Bianconeri will face the winner of Manchester United-Sevilla.
Sporting hasn’t beaten an Italian side since 2011
In the league, on the other hand, Juventus is suddenly back to stuttering. There are now two defeats in a row for Allegri’s men, who were also beaten by Sassuolo. The fatigues of the double commitment are evidently being felt and the one in Reggio Emilia was another reviewable performance (1-0) that slowed down the run-up to fourth place.
Pedro Gonçalves and Locatelli
Sporting also did not go beyond a draw (1-1), stopped at home by Arouca. In the standings, the green-and-whites have not made significant strides in recent days and Braga took advantage to stretch and increase the gap between third and fourth place. Seven points separate the two teams, with the club from the Lusitanian capital in danger of missing out on qualification for the next Champions League. It is not an exhilarating moment for Ruben Amorim’s lineup, which is forced to go all-in on the cup to prevent the season from ending anonymously. And while it is true that Portugal has not been good for Juve lately – it has lost on its last two visits to Porto and Benfica – it must be said that Sporting has not beaten an Italian since 2011. And it has always been eliminated on the last five occasions it has lost the first leg in a knockout stage of a European competition.
Amorim compared to Turin must do without defender St. Juste, who will be replaced by Diomande. Injured Paulinho and Ugarte are unavailable instead. In Juventus, Allegri is expected to confirm Gatti in defense – the former Frosinone man is now an irreplaceable – while Cuadrado will return on the right. Up front Di Maria will support Vlahovic, favored over Milik.
The Prediction
The numbers seem to lean on the side of the Bianconeri: Sporting, in fact, in front of its own public has not won any of the last four matches played on the continental stage, including a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. On the other hand, Juventus has not conceded a goal for four games in the event, and in the previous rounds they have beaten both Nantes and Freiburg. Difficult, at the same time, to think that Allegri’s team can again keep its goal unbeaten against a Sporting side that will build several chances. And that will see Juve focus mainly on the restarts. Therefore, a match with both teams scoring on at least one occasion is conceivable.
The probable lineups of Sporting CP-Juventus
- SPORTING CP (3-4-3): Adán; Diomande, Coates, Inácio; Ricardo Esgaio, Morita, Pedro Gonçalves, Matheus Reis; Trincão, Edwards, Nuno Santos.
- JUVENTUS (3-5-1-1): Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostić; Di María; Vlahović.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
