After losing the first leg 1-0, Sporting will host Juventus for the second leg of their quarter-final Europa League tie on Thursday at 19:00 GMT.
Key Highlights
Sporting’s Home Form
Sporting will have to do it the hard way at home; they have to come from behind to overcome the 0-1 deficit from the first leg.
They will leverage their home support and form to drive them forward, dominate the ball, and create enough chances to score the goals they need to win this match on the night and aggregate to progress to the semi-final stage.
Juventus’ Late Season Form
Massimiliano Allegri and his men will look to complete the job they started in Turin in the first leg.
Allegri will set his side up to be compact and solid while penetrative on the counter. This will allow Juventus to be defensively solid while retaining their attacking impetus and threat.
Injury Report
Sporting
Rúben Amorim and his Sporting charges will prepare to welcome Juventus for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie without two squad players.
Central midfielder Daniel Braganca is unlikely to be available for the clash with the Old Lady. The 23-year-old ruptured his cruciate ligament on July 7, 2022, and has missed 45 matches for the Liga Portuguesa side.
Sporting also face a late test for the availability of 30-year-old Paulinho. The centre-forward has been sidelined with an unknown injury since April 4, 2023. Having missed 3 matches, Paulinho is a doubt for the second leg on Thursday.
Rúben Amorim will be happy that just two players are doubts for the match against the Italian side. This will aid in his quest to pick the best team against Juventus and bolster the chances of overturning the first leg 0-1 defeat in Turin last week.
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri will be without up to four players from his squad facing various injury challenges ahead of the trip to Lisbon to face Sporting for the second and final leg of the quarter-final, with a place in the semis up for grabs.
Kaio Jorge is facing fitness issues ahead of the trip to Lisbon. The centre-forward has been out of action since February 15, 2023. The 23-year-old is a major doubt for the match in Lisbon on Thursday.
Allegri will be without Mattia De Sciglio, with the Italian right-back sidelined with muscle fatigue since April 7, 2023. The fullback has missed 2 matches for Juventus and is a major doubt for the clash against Sporting.
Juventus also face doubts regarding the availability of Brazilian Alex Sandro; the left-back has been sidelined since April 12, 2023. The fullback’s return is expected by April 17, 2023, and he will face late tests for fitness for the Thursday match-up in Lisbon.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is also a doubt; the 32-year-old shot-stopper is nursing a chest injury.
Possible Lineups
Sporting
A. Adan; G. Inacio, S. Coates, J. St. Juste; N. Santos, P. Goncalves, H. Morita, R. Esgaio; F. Trincao, Y. Chermiti, M. Edwards
Juventus
M. Perin; F. Gatti, G. Bremer, Danilo; J. Cuadrado, M. Locatelli, A. Rabiot, F. Kostic; A. Di Maria, A. Milik, F. Chiesa
Prediction
Sporting will start the match quickly; they will look to establish their dominance early on and impose their style on the Italian side. The focus will be on setting the tempo for the rest of the match, especially by getting the early goal to draw the tie level on aggregate.
Juventus will be pragmatic in their approach. They will defend deep and in numbers. They will close all the spaces and passing channels by pressing and falling back to defend in numbers. They will use their pace and quick passing lines to attack in transitions.
Juventus will win the match and progress to the semi-final stage.
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