Juventus returns to action against Sporting Lisbon

Juventus returns to take on Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their Europa Quarterfinal matchup this afternoon. If all goes according to plan, Juventus should be advancing to the next round.

Juventus already has a 1 goal lead on aggregate after their first leg. The team should look to increase that lead with a solid performance at home. Juve is, however, coming off of a poor performance against Sassuolo but the Bianconeri should rebound against the Portuguese side.

Juve will need to make sure that they play hard today if they want to secure a win. Their most recent victory against the Portuguese side came after Federico Gatti, an unlikely scorer, put the ball in the back of the net. It’s unfair, however, to expect your defenders to be your goal scorers. Juve’s attacking players will need to step up in order for the team to advance. This would be a perfect time for Dusan Vlahovic to break out of a season-long slump.

On the injury front, Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba should both be fit for this match and should be able to participate at least in some capacity. This would be a huge recover for the Bianconeri as they are notably better with them on the pitch.

Overall, Juventus is in a pretty good spot going into this match but should be careful with their style of play today and not play too conservatively.

.With the 1-0 aggregate lead, Juventus could bunker down and play defensively. This may be a mistake, however, as they should continue to play to win the game as opposed to playing for a draw. Sporting Libson could play very aggressively to make up the goal differential so Juventus will have to be on their toes in this one.