UEFA Europa League Quarter-final Preview: Juventus vs Sporting CP

It’s not as intriguing and compelling as the UEFA Champions League but there still is some drama to be experienced in the Europa League this season with the likes of Juventus and Manchester United still present at this stage of the competition.

It’s also an entirely different atmosphere with none of the teams which made it to this stage last season present in this year’s quarter-finals.

And so, let’s get down to the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.

Juventus vs Sporting CP

The Old Lady have Benfica’s audacity and competency to thank and their complacency to blame for being on this side of Europe. Juventus lost twice to the in-form Portuguese club(4-3 away and 1-2 at home) and also to Paris Saint Germain. Such poor performance kicked the Bianconeri out of the ‘elites’ group into the UEL where they now have a second chance to go for gold, however degraded.

Juventus are quite a distance from both Champions and Europa League qualification on the Serie A table, currently occupying seventh position with 44 points in 28 games and situated four points behind Atalanta, seven points behind fourth-placed Inter Milan.

Sporting CP are notoriously known for being the side that knocked out huge UEL favourites, Arsenal, from the competition. Leões defeated the Gunners 5-3 on penalties to progress to the last eight where they are by extension vying for a berth in the last four at the expense of the Italians.

Juventus vs Sporting CP key stats

• Juventus are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the first time since the 2013-14 season. They’ve always made the knock-out stages of the Champions League from 2014 till this season.

• In their last UEFA Europa League outing in 2013/14, Juventus reached the semi-finals where they were knocked out by Portuguese Benfica.

• Both teams are having a fine run of form. While Bianconeri are on a six game unbeaten run, Sporting Lisbon are yet to concede a single defeat in their last ten games across all competitions.

Juventus vs Sporting CP Head-to-Head

Juventus and Sporting Lisbon have met three times, with both teams recording a win; Sporting CP 2-1 Juventus(2011), Juventus 2-1 Sporting CP(2017) and a draw; Sporting CP 1-1 Juventus(2017)

Juventus vs Sporting CP key players

Juventus: Dusan Vlahovic(11 goals)
Sporting CP: Pedro Gonçalves(16 goals)

Past wins:

Juventus(1977, 1990, 1993)