Swissquote match analysis: Sporting CP vs Juventus

Sporting CP needed to recover from a 1-0 first leg loss in Turin, where the Portuguese side played well despite the defeat. A noisy 45,903 crowd were waiting in Lisbon to help their heroes against a Juventus outfit who have come into form after a difficult start to the season.

Sporting eliminated Arsenal in the previous round and had reason to be confident. In this second leg, they enjoyed 56% of possession and 13 goal attempts to the Italian side's eight, but several factors were crucial in Juventus withstanding the pressure to prevail.

In this article brought to you by Swissquote, the UEFA Technical Observer Panel picks out several key tactical details from an entertaining contest, the result of which sees Juventus progress to a semi-final meeting with Sevilla, who beat Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate.

Goals

0-1: Adrien Rabiot (8)
A Federico Chiesa corner was headed by Gleison Bremer back into the centre of a crowded box, where Alex Sandro helped get the ball down for Rabiot (who had been trying to win the ball in the air) to swing a left-footed shot downwards and past Antonio Adán into the corner, giving Juventus a huge two-goal aggregate advantage.

1-1: Marcus Edwards (20) 
The Englishman struck a left-footed penalty low and down the middle after Rabiot conceded a foul against Manuel Ugarte in the area. Keen to restart play and level the tie on aggregate, Sporting's players surged forward to retrieve the ball from Wojciech Szczęsny's net.

Team formations

Sporting CP

Juventus

Features

The Battle for midfield

The middle of the pitch saw some tough battles as both sides tried to rob their opponents of the ball. Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli worked extremely hard for Juventus, making it difficult for Sporting to get through the centre. In addition, Ángel Di María frequently moved inside so that Rabiot could get into space, but Sporting's midfielders Hidemasa Morita and Ugarte also worked hard to defend on the front foot. Yet the home side were not content to sit back; Sporting needed a win and it showed in their play and pressing.

At the top end of the pitch, the hosts looked to Nuno Santos to create a line of four players with two central midfielders in behind. The aim for Sporting's midfielders was to occupy dangerous spaces and prevent Juventus from progressing centrally.

In the first clip, you have Morita and Ugarte trying to cover possible passing options with their press. In doing so, they leave spaces in behind which Di María looks to occupy by going inside. On a couple of occasions, Juventus tried to play off forward Dušan Vlahović and support him, but they either lost possession or conceded free-kicks.

Looking at Sporting's shape, the left wing-back has plenty of ground to cover. The ball stays on the other side, but he is not on the same wavelength as the rest of the back line. The right wing-back and right centre-back are dragged over, resulting in a space opening up in behind.

In the second part of the video it is Juventus on the front foot. They recover the ball and move forward to win a corner, which leads to their second goal of the tie.

Locatelli plays a key role for the visitors, occupying the space behind the front line. On the second occasion they manage to play the ball in behind, leading to the corner from which they score.

Sporting had to move their captain Sebastián Coates upfield as the game progressed, so by the end they were operating in a 3-3-4 formation. It was a risk they had to take, as they couldn't get through the centre and were over-reliant on Santos' high balls and the threat of Edwards.

Juventus, with a goal advantage, were content to counterattack through quick transitions, using either Di María or Juan Cuadrado in the wide right area. The Italians stopped building from the back and used long kicks from goalkeeper Szczęsny to escape the heavy pressure. Juventus took their time, managed the game, sat deep and ran down the clock when making their substitutions, frustrating Sporting and their fans. Locatelli controlled the centre better than any player and, in doing so, helped his side gain important minutes and interrupt Sporting's attacking rhythm. Juventus were tight, compact and disciplined.

So who won the battle for the middle? Sporting dominated possession and chances in an even encounter, but Juventus won the tie and were more clinical.

Sporting's rotations

Juventus were well-organised, defending in a 4-3-3 high up the pitch and in a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 in a low block. To get the better of their opponents, Sporting's players needed movement off the ball to create the space to play and combine with one another.

We can see that in this video. Sporting's wide forwards are looking to operate in the pockets of space, with the wing-backs on the opposite line aiming to exploit the space behind Cuadrado. Morita produces a great run which tests the Juve back line, but Juventus close the player down quickly and retrieve the ball.

The second clip shows them working off the shoulder and trying to disrupt the opposition shape. Later, there's a horizontal rotation to drag the player wider and expose the space between Alex Sandro and Bremer, with both Juventus central defenders pinned to Sporting players. Sporting rotated well, but the visitors were equal to it.

Juventus's defensive organisation

The video shows how well-organised Juventus are in open play. Juventus adapted to use multiple formations in the first half, mainly deploying a 4-3-3 formation which turned into a back five with a four-man midfield when defending deep, leaving Vlahović up front.

The Italian side tried to limit Sporting's use of wing-backs by using their wingers to apply pressure on the hosts' wide centre-backs. Di María did this often and he did it well – right from the first minute, when he managed to win the ball back for his team. He regained the ball in similar fashion in the second half before screening the pass well. This led directly to a Juventus chance, Vlahović putting the ball over the bar from close range.

Juventus's mobile midfield trio played a vital role, applying pressure in wide areas when needed as well as working hard to screen central passes. The pressure in wide areas was particularly effective, allowing the full-backs to stay connected with the rest of the back line.

The impact of Edwards

The creativity and rotation of Edwards, Francisco Trincão and Ricardo Esgaio caused Juventus problems. The 24-year-old Englishman was the star man, not only scoring the Sporting goal but creating opportunities with his ability in one-on-one situations. In the first clip, he sets up a chance by sweeping in a ball which hit the post, in a move that leads to Sporting's equalising penalty.

In the second part, Edwards' bravery leaves him one-on-one but three Juventus players end up chasing him down. This leaves more space in the penalty box for Sporting's players to pick their spot, but the ball flies over the bar.

Edwards was most dangerous when penetrating the Juventus box from the right, but he runs right across the penalty area to set up another Sporting attack.

An animated Massimiliano Allegri watches Juventus from the touchlineUEFA via Getty Images

Coaches' assessments

Ruben Amorim, Sporting CP coach: "We played the football – they scored the goals.”

Ricardo Esgaio, Sporting defender, speaking to UEFA.com: "The team played well, just like in the first leg, and gave their all. The only thing missing was scoring and, unfortunately, that is the most important aspect in this sport. We leave the competition with our heads held high and with pride, but pride for our performance against top teams like Arsenal and Juventus, not for the final outcome. We managed to go eye-to-eye with them and leave a good impression."

Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus coach: "It was a good day. We battled, we did good things in the second half to begin with, but we must do better when it comes to our chances. We knew it would be difficult, but we're bringing home a good result.

"I like to play with three midfielders, also because of the characteristics of the players I have at my disposal. Against Sporting we had to open the game up, but we rushed the play in the box and more patience was needed. We didn't shoot much from outside the box and we must improve."