Match Coverages
Juventus v Sporting CP: Match preview, team news and probable lineups
Sporting Lisbon will travel to Turin to face Serie A giants Juventus in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday.
Sporting progressed to the quarter-finals after beating Premier League leaders Arsenal on penalties, while Juventus had a more comfortable win against Freiburg.
Juventus has had a controversial season, with several setbacks on and off the pitch. They won successive trademark 1-0 wins over Inter and Verona but then suffered a controversial Coppa Italia draw and a defeat to Lazio last weekend.
Despite their mixed fortunes, they have won 11 of their last 15 matches and have won each of their last three European matches without conceding a single goal.
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Sporting was eliminated from the top club tournament during the autumn group stage but are unbeaten in their last 11 outings, winning seven times and holding Arsenal level, partly thanks to an outrageous Pedro Goncalves strike, before eliminating the Gunners via a tense penalty shootout.
Sporting boasts a lethal counter-attacking threat and has lost just one of their last six away games in Europe, keeping three clean sheets in the process. However, they have failed to win any of their 15 games away to Italian sides in Europe throughout their history.
This will be only the third time Juventus have faced Sporting in UEFA competition, with the first two meetings in the 2017-18 Champions League group phase resulting in a win for Juventus at home and a draw in Portugal. Sporting is the outsider for the match, with Juventus having the home advantage and a much more successful history in European competitions.
The winner of the match will face Manchester United or Europa League specialists Sevilla in the semi-finals next month.
Team news and probable lineups
Juventus boss Max Allegri is set to welcome back two players for the Europa League quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon after having himself recovered from flu syndrome.
Striker Moise Kean is available again after serving a suspension in Serie A, while defender Mattia De Sciglio is approaching full fitness after an injury.
Moreover, midfielder Paul Pogba is expected to be called up for the match after having recently training with the group.
Meanwhile, Sporting will be without attacking duo Jovane Cabral and Paulinho, who are both recovering from muscular injuries, as well as Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who is serving a suspension.
Full-back Hector Bellerin could be included on the bench after returning to training following a knee problem.
Juventus possible starting lineup: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria; Vlahovic.
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup: Adan; Diomande, Coates, St. Juste; Esgaio, Goncalves, Morita, Reis; Edwards, Chermiti, Trincao.