Sporting CP vs Juventus
UEFA Europa League
Date: 20 April 2023, Thursday
Kick-off at 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
Venue: Estadio Jose Alvalade (Lisbon).
Juventus will carry a minimal one-goal advantage to the second leg of their UEFA Europa League quarterfinal tie to Lisbon as they visit Estadio Jose Alvalade to face Sporting CP on Thursday night.
Massimiliano Allegri made an interesting move ahead of the first leg by changing the formation that had suffered a 2-1 defeat at Lazio on the weekend before in the Serie A.
Allegri surprised everyone last week by starting three men up top. Such an approach, however, did not bring Juve the wanted explosiveness in the final third as their opportunities were few and far between.
Federico Gatti eventually made the difference with his second-half strike but La Vecchia Signora will have to do much better seven days after in Portuguese capital if they want to make it to the semifinal of the competition.
Getting a result in Lisbon will represent a true challenge for I Bianconeri because their counterparts are scoring goals for fun whenever they are in action at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Sporting Lisbon have thus bagged at least two goals in each of the previous four home matches across competitions, a run that includes the 2-2 stalemate to Premier League leaders Arsenal in the previous round.
Juventus have been very tough to break down in the Serie A since the beginning of the season but they did reveal defensive holes in some of the recent away outings against the likes of Roma and Lazio.
Also, we must not forget that the Portuguese outfit did manage to threaten Juve’s goal on several interesting occasions last week in Turin.
Sporting CP vs Juventus Head-to-head
- Juventus will go into this on the back of two wins and a draw in the last three head to head encounters with Sporting CP.
- Neither of the last two head to head meetings between these rivals saw three or more goals scored.
- The teams played a 1-1 stalemate in their lone head to head meeting in Lisbon.
Sporting CP vs Juventus Prediction
Sporting CP are marked as slight favorites ahead of the reverse leg in Lisbon. Without a doubt, they do possess quality in their ranks and they proved to have what it takes to challenge Juventus seven days ago in Turin.
However, the Italians have a much greater and richer history in European competitions. Winning Europa League will likely be Juventus’ only road to the Champions League football next year and we have to look for the value in backing the away win bet at the 3.20 odds. Alternatively, we like the 1.90 odds offered for goals at both ends, expecting Sporting to find the back of the net in front of the home crowd.
Sporting CP vs Juventus Betting Tips
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Juventus to win @ 3.20 (11/5)
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Both Teams To Score @ 1.90 (9/10) odd.
