Europa League betting preview ......
Apr 13, 2023
Europa League: Juventus- Sporting Lisbon
Sporting made my notes four weeks ago when they travelled to London to face Arsenal at the Emirates ...........
Ahead of last week's first leg I wrote .....
I have spoken of some defensive issues for Arsenal a lot in recent weeks and just when it was starting to feel like one or two of those had been resolved , they conceded twice at home to Championship bound Bournemouth at the weekend, needing a 98th minute winner to complete the comeback. I have also touched upon several times this season, including on Tuesday in my Benfica notes, about Portuguese teams impressing in Europe and Sporting are one of those. In the Champions League group stage they won 3-0 in Frankfurt and took four points from Tottenham,but somehow those two managed to qualify ahead of the Lisbon club, leaving this competition for Sporting, who beat FC Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate in the first knockout stage round. The Gunners hold a five point lead at the top of the EPL, but probably know that Man City will still challenge hard and they have to keep one eye on the weekend game with Fulham. Having said that, they would surely and ideally like to get the hard work of this tie done this evening and not next Thursday. They are perfectly capable of winning and scoring 2-3 goals, but I am less confident about a clean sheet , Sporting are averaging 2.64 goals at home in the league and their CL defeats came mainly along with discipline issues and dismissals, there were 10 BC's total in Sporting's two games with Tottenham and as long as they keep 10 on the pitch, they can play their part in what should be a very entertaining contest.
That played out perfectly for us with both teams scoring twice, the game produced over 4.2 xG, 7 BC's and 13 attempts on target and it was a fun watch! The Gunners got what they wanted from last week, kept themselves in this tie and then completely dominated a Fulham team devoid of energy or guile 3-0 at the weekend. We could not see any of those defensive "issues" from Arsenal on Sunday as Fulham didn't venture far enough upfield to test them out! As a brief aside, I am still not having Aleksandar Mitrovic as an elite EPL striker, he is happy bossing inferior defenders in the Championship where he has scored an insane 85 goals from 126 appearances, but he has 50 less from a very similar number of top flight starts, has not scored since the New Year game and we have been here before with him and Fulham. The Cottagers have had a great season , although it pains me to say it, and one they can be proud of, but I would really urge caution with them right now.
Back to tonight! Arsenal still lead the EPL by 5 points and get the international break after hosting Palace , who are in freefall ( winless in 12 starts in 2023, scoring just 5 goals), on Sunday. I doubt they will be losing too much sleep over that and will be looking to build on that fine offensive showing at Craven Cottage, but Sporting are very dangerous, have goals in them and have already scored 9 in four tough European away starts this season and five in three meetings now with top 4 EPL teams. They will be similarly focussed on tonight , it offers their best chance for a return to CL football and they do not play again for 15 days as their weekend game has been cancelled. As good as Arsenal have been and that is VERY, they can be got at and I smell an upset and I cannot let Sporting pass totally unbacked.
2.5 units both teams to score 2.09 asian line.
1.25 units Sporting to qualify for next round 5.97 asian line.
They played out perfectly in a 1-1 draw, with Sporting progressing via a penalty shootout. They have played three domestic league games subsequently, taking 7 points and scoring 7 goals . They now host another top European side and one who are looking for a route back to the Champions League. Juventus have regrouped since the shock of their 15 point Serie A deduction and are 11-2-2 through their last 15 starts, albeit being winless in their last two, a 1-1 home draw with Inter and 2-1 loss at Lazio. Juventus have played 35 home league games since the start of last season and the route to getting a result here in Turin is
"easy" ..........
Juventus have kept 17 clean sheets and won all 17.
They have conceded in 18 and won just four (five defeats and nine draws).
Nothing much to put us off Sporting and they are a better team and will arrive with more ambition than most teams who come to play Juventus in Turin, at least domestically. A 1-1 draw will be my suggestion, but best value with ..........
2.25 units both teams to score 2.20 asian line.
Good luck!
We don't just sell football betting tips, as you can see there is an extensive analysis behind our asian handicap selections. Subscribing to our sports betting advice service need not break the bank. Learn more by visiting our subscriptions page.
Country:
Sport:
Competition:
Football Teams: