Juventus will face a familiar name and an increasingly dangerous side when they welcome Sporting Lisbon to the Allianz Stadium in the Champions League. The two clubs last met in Turin on 13 April 2023 in the Europa League quarter-finals — a match remembered for Federico Gatti’s crucial goal, Wojciech Szczęsny’s scare after chest pain, and Mattia Perin’s superb late save on Pedro Gonçalves. Two years on, the anthem has changed, and so has the stage.
Now it’s the Champions League, with Juventus searching for momentum under Luciano Spalletti, while Rúben Borges’s Sporting arrive in confident form, sitting just outside the playoff positions and level on points with heavyweight clubs such as Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona.
Sporting in Form and Full of Confidence
The Portuguese side travel to Turin after a solid European campaign so far: wins over Kairat Almaty (4–1) and Marseille (2–1) have been offset only by a narrow loss to Napoli. Borges has forged a team that plays with freedom and belief, scoring regularly and maintaining technical discipline.
However, Sporting must cope with several injuries. Central defender Zeno Debast, midfielder Daniel Bragança, and winger Nuno Santos are all unavailable, while right-back Iván Fresneda is a major doubt after twisting his ankle in Friday’s match against Alverca. If he does not recover in time, Michalis Vagiannidis is likely to step in at right-back within Borges’s usual 4-2-3-1 shape.
Hjulmand at the Heart of It
Tuttosport report that among the names on Juventus’ radar in recent transfer windows was Morten Hjulmand — now the beating heart of Sporting’s system. Once a target for Igor Tudor during the summer market, the Danish midfielder has grown into a true leader in Lisbon, combining aggression, anticipation, and composure in midfield. His ability to break up play and dictate tempo makes him vital to Borges’s setup — and a potential problem for Juventus to solve.
Facing him will be Manuel Locatelli, in what promises to be one of the match’s most intriguing tactical duels.
Two Champions League Dangers: Pedro Gonçalves and Luis Suárez
Sporting’s attacking power extends well beyond Hjulmand’s control of midfield. Pedro Gonçalves remains the creative engine, arriving in Turin with eight goals and six assists this season — a player who always looks to make the difference on big nights. Alongside him, Spanish forward Luis Suárez (signed from Almería last summer) has quickly adapted to Portuguese football, matching Gonçalves’s eight-goal tally. Their partnership has helped Sporting move beyond the shadow of former talisman Viktor Gyökeres.
Juventus Watch: A Very Different Team
For Juventus, much has changed since that Europa League tie two years ago. A new manager, a new tactical identity, and a rebuilding process driven by discipline and belief under Luciano Spalletti. Yet the warning signs are clear: Sporting are fast, intelligent, and dangerous in transition.
Spalletti will have little time to prepare detailed countermeasures beyond what he saw against Cremonese, but Juventus will need to reproduce that same aggression and focus. The challenge is daunting — but victory could be the turning point in the club’s European campaign.
