Massimiliano Allegri called on Juventus to become more ruthless despite the Bianconeri reaching the Europa League last four with a 1-1 draw at Sporting CP.

Juve took a slender 1-0 lead into the second leg at the Estadio Jose Alvalade after Federico Gatti's goal gave them victory in last week's reverse fixture at Allianz Stadium.

After learning prior to Thursday's match that their 15-point deduction in Serie A for financial breaches had been suspended, an early Adrien Rabiot goal doubled Juve's lead in the tie, and though Marcus Edwards pulled a goal back for Sporting, the visitors held on to set up a semi-final clash with Sevilla.

Despite earning a last-four spot in Europe for the first time since 2017, Allegri warned his players they must be more clinical in future after spurning a number of chances to kill the tie off in the second half.

"It was a good day, as we headed to the semi-finals," the Juve coach told Sky Sport Italia. "We suffered, we did good things in the second half at the beginning.

"But we have to do better when it comes to our chances. We rushed the play in the box and more patience would have been needed. We shot little from outside the box and we must improve.

"We knew it would be difficult, but we are bringing home a good result."

Standing between Allegri's men and the final in Budapest on May 31 is Sevilla, whose six Europa League six titles are double any other team's trophy haul in the competition.

Sevilla beat Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate to seal their semi-final place but Allegri says he had predicted such a result.

"I expected Sevilla to be honest," he said of his next European opponents. "They are a tricky team, they play well and are good with the ball.

"They have won so many Europa Leagues, so they definitely have an advantage. The signs from the last game [in Manchester] were in their favour, I had that feeling."

Rabiot's close-range strike after nine minutes in Portugal gave Juve a crucial two-goal lead and capped a strong performance in midfield, one that saw him lead the Bianconeri in passes in the final third (15) and contribute defensively with three clearances and an interception.

Despite his impressive display, Allegri still believes Rabiot has parts of his game to work on, saying: "He has the qualities but he can still improve.

"Sometimes he gets close to the area and doesn't shoot. He has to improve but he has become important, extraordinary."

Juventus reached the Europa League semi-finals as a 1-1 draw against Sporting CP at Estadio Jose Alvalade sealed a 2-1 aggregate triumph.

Buoyed by learning prior to Thursday's second leg that their 15-point deduction in Serie A for financial breaches had been suspended, Adrien Rabiot struck early on to double Juve's lead in the tie after Federico Gatti had given them a slender advantage in last week's reverse fixture at Allianz Stadium.

Marcus Edwards quickly pulled one back for Sporting from the penalty spot after Rabiot's foul on Manuel Ugarte, but resilient defending saw the Bianconeri through.

Juve will feature in a European semi-final for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign and will do battle with Sevilla for a place in the final after they knocked Manchester United out.

Juve took the lead after only nine minutes as Rabiot was first to a loose ball in the box from a corner and lashed into the bottom left-corner.

Sporting were offered a way back into the tie when Rabiot brought down Ugarte in the area, with referee Francois Letexier pointing to the spot and Edwards firing the ball straight down the middle as Wojciech Szczesny dived to his left.

The hosts nearly drew level on aggregate when Ousmane Diomande nodded just wide before half-time, and they nearly fell further behind after the interval when Dusan Vlahovic failed to get his header on target.

Sporting pressed for a goal that would force the game into extra-time and nearly found one when Ricardo Esgaio blazed just over the crossbar, but Massimiliano Allegri's men held on to reach the last four.

Massimiliano Allegri wants his Juventus team to show "personality" as they look to defend their first-leg lead away at Sporting CP in the Europa League.

The Bianconeri claimed a 1-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium last week thanks to a Federico Gatti strike as they bid to lift the Europa League for a fourth time, a win that would move them up to second in the all-time rankings behind Sevilla's six.

However, they still have to get past a Sporting side who have already dumped out Premier League leaders Arsenal and are unbeaten in their last six at home in all competitions.

Allegri knows his side will have to show a strong mentality to preserve their slender advantage at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday, telling Sky Sport Italia: "You need to have personality, speed and calmness.

"The match is long and will give us difficulties, they are an excellent team in terms of organisation.

"The goal is important and not simple, Sporting eliminated Arsenal. We don't think about the first leg but that is a challenge."

Juve will now find out just before their match in Portugal kicks off whether their 15-point deduction in Serie A for financial breaches will stand after the results of the finding were pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday,

Allegri, though, is keen for his players to focus on the big game ahead of them, saying: "We knew that today was an important day, both in terms of the ruling and his outcome, but above all to better prepare for tomorrow's match.

"Once we know about the ruling, we put it aside and we'll think about the match."

While Allegri revealed Federico Chiesa was a doubt for the game, he had positive news on Adrien Rabiot and Wojciech Szczesny, explaining: "Szczesny is fine, he's fine. Rabiot is available, he's done all the training."

Juve suffered a 1-0 league defeat at Sassuolo on Sunday with midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, who was at fault for the winning goal after his poor clearance, left in tears on the bench after being ruthlessly substituted off by Allegri following the mistake.

Full-back Alex Sandro showed solidarity for his 22-year-old team-mate ahead of the Sporting clash, telling reporters: "It's good to cry sometimes. We have to respect Fagioli's and everyone's reaction after victories and defeats.

"Fagioli is young, but he already has experience. He is not the future, but the present of Juve."

Real Madrid are reportedly eager to bolster their full-back options, to upgrade from Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy.

Los Blancos were linked with Manchester City's Joao Cancelo - currently on loan at Bayern Munich - earlier this week by Fichajes.

The Spanish giants are set to miss out on this season's LaLiga title, with Barcelona leading by 10 points.

TOP STORY – MADRID KEEN ON LIVERPOOL'S TAA

Real Madrid will turn to Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold should they fail to land Reece James from Chelsea, claims Ekrem Konur.

Los Blancos are in the market for a new full-back and Konur claims Madrid could also turn to Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong.

Alexander-Arnold has had a mixed campaign for Liverpool, who appear set for a squad revamp in the off-season. The 24-year-old England full-back is contracted with the Reds until 2025.

 

ROUND-UP

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is an admirer of Torino's 21-year-old midfielder Samuele Ricci with Los Blancos keeping tabs on his situation, according to Tuttosport.

– The Sunday Mirror claims Manchester City are leading the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid , with Liverpool having pulled out.

Chelsea are looking to offer Romelu Lukaku as part of a deal with Atletico Madrid to sign Portuguese forward Joao Felix permanently, reports Fichajes. Chelsea are unwilling to pay Atletico's €100m asking fee, but may part with €70m along with the Belgian forward.

Tottenham are tracking Barcelona winger Ansu Fati, reports Mundo Deportivo. The report suggests Spurs are willing to make him their most expensive transfer in club history.

RB Leipzig are considering a move to sign Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun in the close season, claims Todofichajes. Balogun has impressed this season on loan with Reims .

Chelsea have interviewed Sporting boss Ruben Amorim about taking over as manager next season, reports talkSPORT.

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was left "scared" after leaving the first leg of his side's Europa League quarter-final against Sporting CP with chest pain.

The Poland international left the field in tears before the conclusion of the first half, with Mattia Perin introduced in his place and playing the remainder of the 1-0 victory at Allianz Stadium.

Szczesny was checked by the medical team and given the all clear shortly after the resumption of the second half, though he admitted he was concerned by the sequence of events.

"I am fine, I was a little anxious, but we did all the tests and everything is fine," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"I was scared, it had never happened to me before, I was struggling to breathe and it really worried me."

Perin's heroics in added time with a double save to deny Pote and Hector Bellerin secured victory for Juventus, with Szczesny returning to form by joking about the situation and praising his team-mate.

"The truth is, I saw Mattia in great shape in training, I felt tired and knew he would have a great double save at the 94th [minute]," he added.

"Nah, they fired it straight at him! I congratulated him, he is also a guy with a heart of gold, we get along well. It's a shame Carlo [Pinsoglio] didn't come on, he would've had a hat-trick of great saves today."

Speaking shortly after, Perin hailed the team's display and made it clear there was still plenty of work to be done.

"I think the team as a whole has been exceptional not to fall into a victim mentality or false alibis, instead we used that negative energy and made it positive, proving we are real men," he said.

"It is only half-time in the quarter-final, there are another 90 minutes to go and we can be happy with this victory, but it's only half-done."

Federico Gatti's first Juventus goal gave the Bianconeri a 1-0 victory against Sporting CP in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.

A hard-fought encounter at the Allianz Stadium looked set to finish goalless until the 73rd-minute winner, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities.

The most notable incident to that point had been Wojciech Szczesny's departure due to chest pains, although Juventus soon confirmed their goalkeeper was "doing well".

Gatti poked home from close range to secure a narrow first-leg lead, even if Mattia Perrin, on for Szczesny, was required to make a vital last-gasp double-save to preserve that advantage.

Massimiliano Allegri has warned his Juventus side about the strength of Sporting CP ahead of the two teams clashing in the Europa League quarter-final. 

Juventus host the Primeira Liga side in the first leg on Thursday night, after the Bianconeri eliminated Freiburg in the last 16, while Sporting beat Arsenal. 

Allegri's side sit seventh in Serie A after a 15-point deduction for alleged transfer irregularities, while Sporting are fourth in Portugal's top-flight and are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions.

"Tomorrow is a difficult match," Allegri said at a press conference on Wednesday. "It is an important quarter-final against a team that has been on a positive run for 11 games now.

"Sporting's coach [Ruben Amorim] is young and very good. He brought the league title back to the club [in 2020-21] after 19 years.

"We have to do things the right way tomorrow to have an advantage for when we go to Lisbon."

Juventus will be boosted by the return of key players on Thursday, including Paul Pogba, whose injury-hit season has seen him play just 35 minutes since re-signing from Manchester United last summer.

"Pogba is on his feet, which we are happy about," added Allegri. "Now we are working on improving his condition.

"Tomorrow he will be available and will be on the bench. Alex Sandro and [Dusan] Vlahovic are both available, but [Mattia] De Sciglio is not."

Juventus are second-favourites to win the Europa League behind United, but Allegri is not look beyond the quarter-final.

"Clearly it would be fantastic to get to play the final," he said. "But before then, there are still four games to face, starting with home and away against Sporting.

"So, it's too early to talk about playing in a final. We're only thinking about this next game, and we'll continue step by step."

Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday after barely seven months as their manager.

Potter, who took over from Thomas Tuchel in September, led the Blues to 12 wins, eight draws and 11 defeats.

His demise comes amid numerous changes of managers at Premier League clubs, with Tottenham last week parting with Antonio Conte.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA APPROACH TOP CANDIDATE NAGELSMANN

Chelsea have identified ex-Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann as their top candidate and approached him already, claims Fabrizio Romano.

Romano said talks will be ongoing before a final decision, while he added the Blues hierarchy are admirers of Sporting boss Ruben Amorim.

However, Sky Sports Germany claims Nagelsmann is not interested in taking over at Chelsea.

TalkSPORT claims the dismissed Potter could be offered an immediate return to management by Leicester City who sacked Brendan Rodgers earlier on Sunday.

 

ROUND-UP

– AS claims that Paris Saint-Germain winger Kylian Mbappe has told the Real Madrid board that he intends to join Los Blancos as a free agent in 2024. According to the report, Madrid are not willing to negotiate a transfer fee with PSG, following their long-running interest in Mbappe, with the player needing to get out of his contract to move to the Spanish capital.

Liverpool will consider an off-season move for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, reports The Independent.

– Fichajes claims Liverpool are also weighing up a surprise move for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

– Football Insider claims Arsenal have identified three midfield targets in Everton's Amadou Onana, West Ham's Declan Rice and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.

Manchester United's hopes of signing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani have been set back with the Frenchman keen to join Bayern Munich in the off-season.

Manchester United must overcome Europa League specialists Sevilla in order to reach a semi-final against either Juventus or Sporting CP.

United defeated Real Betis in the last 16 and will now face their city rivals Sevilla, six-time winners of the UEFA Cup and Europa League.

The sides have met three times previously, with Sevilla knocking United out of the 2017-18 Champions League over a two-legged tie before beating the Red Devils again in a one-off 2019-20 Europa League semi-final.

It is a daunting draw for United, who could then have to play Juventus in the last four.

The semi-final draw, which was also conducted on Friday, paired the winners of United's tie with Juventus or Sporting, who eliminated Arsenal on Thursday.

Even in the final, should Erik ten Hag's men make it that far, United could be set for a reunion with former manager Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho's Roma were drawn against Feyenoord in the quarter-finals in a repeat of last season's Europa Conference League final, which the Giallorossi won.

Bayer Leverkusen meet Union Saint-Gilloise in the final last-eight tie, playing for the right to face Roma or Feyenoord.


Europa League quarter-final draw in full:

Manchester United v Sevilla
Juventus v Sporting CP
Bayer Leverkusen v Union Saint-Gilloise
Feyenoord v Roma

Martin Odegaard urged Arsenal to "come back stronger" after elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Sporting CP.

Gabriel Martinelli's missed penalty in the shoot-out saw the Gunners suffer defeat in the last-16 second leg at Emirates Stadium, having drawn both legs.

The result means Arsenal have now failed to win any of their last five knockout matches at home in the Europa League (D3 L2) since beating Valencia in May 2019.

All eyes will now be on the Premier League campaign, where Arsenal hold a five-point advantage over Manchester City with 11 games left to play, and Odegaard wants his side to respond against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

"I think we did enough in some periods of the game but most of the game we were not on the level that we should be," he told BT Sport.

"Part of the game we did well but, throughout the whole game, we didn't play our best football. It was a tight game in the end and could have gone both ways.

"They are a good team, we knew that, we knew their qualities, and we were prepared, but I think it was more about us today.

"We didn't play the way we normally do, and we didn't maybe put in the energy that we usually do. That's disappointing but now we have to look forward and be ready for Sunday.

"We have to remember it has been a great season, we've done amazing things this year. Of course, it is a big blow to go out of this competition, it was a big goal for us, but we have to look forward now.

"We have to look at Sunday, come back stronger and make sure we finish well in the league, that's the only thing we can do now.

"We win and lose together. It doesn't matter. When we're winning everyone is happy, when we lose we have to pick up the spirit. We win and lose together."

Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP in the Europa League round-of-16 at Emirates Stadium.

Granit Xhaka handed the Gunners a first-half lead but that advantage was cancelled out in spectacular style by Pote's long-range effort that sent the tie into extra time.

Adan ensured the tie went the full distance with crucial saves to deny Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhaes, though Sporting finished with 10 men after Manuel Ugarte's dismissal.

Adan's heroics came again in the showdown from the spot, denying Gabriel Martinelli's attempt before Nuno Santos scored to send Sporting into the quarter-finals.

The Gunners took the lead after 19 minutes, with Xhaka playing a superb ball over the top for Martinelli to force Adan into a save but the Switzerland international was on hand to smash home the rebound.

Sporting started the second period on the front foot and found the equaliser in stunning fashion shortly after the hour mark, Pote spotting Ramsdale off his line and lobbing the England international from 46 yards out.

The Gunners stopper redeemed himself 10 minutes later, charging off his line to block Marcus Edwards' effort with his face after the former Tottenham youngster was fed through by Ricardo Esgaio.

Trossard was gifted a golden opportunity in extra time when Youssef Chermiti sloppily gave the ball away but Adan denied the Belgian and deflected his effort onto the post.

The Sporting stopper was again on hand to deny Gabriel's powerful header, the Brazilian then seeing another attempt from the following corner cleared off the line before Ugarte saw red after a second booking due to clattering into Bukayo Saka as the game headed to penalties.

With the first seven penalties of the shoot-out scored, Adan thwarted Arsenal again, diving low to his left to deny Martinelli before Nuno Santos comfortably dispatched his attempt to seal a spot in the last-eight.

Gabriel Jesus was named in Arsenal's starting XI for their Europa League clash with Sporting CP.

Jesus returned from injury as a second-half substitute in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Fulham on Sunday, a victory that moved them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The former Manchester City forward had not featured since sustaining a knee injury while on duty with Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar last year.

Jesus' last goal came at the start of October, in a 3-1 defeat of Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham.

With the last-16 tie against Sporting level at 2-2 after the first leg in Lisbon, Mikel Arteta selected Jesus to lead Arsenal's line at Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

Reiss Nelson kept his starting place from the first leg, with Gabriel Martinelli completing the front three as Bukayo Saka dropped to the bench.

Matt Turner, Ben White and Jakub Kiwior started in Lisbon, but Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Magalhaes came into the defence for the rematch, with Jorginho, Fabio Vieira and Granit Xhaka keeping their places in midfield.

William Saliba put Arsenal ahead on March 9 before Goncalo Inacio and Paulinho turned matters around, but Hidemasa Morita's own goal ensured the second leg would start on level terms.

Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey were the first-team regulars named alongside Saka on the bench, with Arteta juggling progress in Europe with the Gunners' title charge – they face Crystal Palace at home on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta named Rafael Nadal as his number one idol and joked he hopes the tennis great chooses to attend an Arsenal game over Tottenham.

The Arsenal manager was asked to name the person – sports star or otherwise – he admires most in wake of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola revealing Hollywood A-lister Julia Roberts was one of his idols.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Thursday's Europa League last-16 second leg against Sporting CP, Arteta said: "Off the top of my head, Nadal is someone I've admired for a long, long time.

"His mentality, what he's won, the way he's done it, the way he's bounced back – he's top of my list for sure."

Guardiola, who named Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan as his other idols, quipped he felt upset that Roberts decided to visit City's fierce rivals Manchester United when she visited the city seven years ago.

Asked if he hoped Real Madrid supporter Nadal would opt for Arsenal over fellow north London side Tottenham, Arteta said: "I hope so."

Arteta had every right to be in high spirits when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, with his side five points clear of City at the top of the Premier League after easing to a 3-0 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Arsenal's focus now switches to the Europa League and the visit of Sporting, who they are locked at 2-2 with after last week's entertaining first leg in Portugal.

Rather than seeing the match as a distraction ahead of facing Crystal Palace in their final league match before the international break, Arteta is relishing playing in front of a large home crowd in a European competition.

"We haven't had a big European night for three years," he said. "Hopefully it will be a really good atmosphere and we can enjoy it.

"We know Sporting are a good team and they'll provide a challenge."

Much like ahead of the first leg, Arteta was unwilling to give much away in terms of team selection, but he did provide a positive update on Gabriel Jesus after the striker's return from a four-month lay-off against Fulham.

"It was great to see him back. You can feel the happiness of everyone around him - we missed him and now he's back," Arteta said.

"We have to manage his minutes, his involvement. He's feeling good and every day he's training he says his sensations are better so that's really positive.

"As for the team, we're looking to do the same as we did in Lisbon but we know we're going to have to do better than we did last week."

Ruben Amorim intends to stay as Sporting CP head coach after being linked with a move to Tottenham.

It appears likely Antonio Conte will end his short tenure at Spurs at the end of the season, when his contract expires.

Conte will have spent less than two years at the helm of the north London side, leading them into the Champions League but proving unable to deliver a trophy.

Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper and Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi have also played down links to Tottenham.

Amorim has attracted attention as one of Europe's brightest young coaches, impressing at Braga before joining Sporting in March 2020 and winning a Primeira Liga title in his first full season in charge.

Sporting were runners-up to Porto last season and are only fourth this term, but 38-year-old Amorim remains widely admired.

Asked about reports of Tottenham interest at a press conference on Saturday, Amorim said: "My objective is that I have a contract with Sporting for another three years and in my head is to be champion at least once more in those three years.

"If we win two championships in that time it's a step forward. I'm interested in showing results and not what is said abroad."

The coach, whose team play Boavista on Sunday, last week chalked up his 100th win in charge of Sporting as they beat Portimonense 1-0 on league duty.

Sporting allowed defender Pedro Porro to join Tottenham in January, but Amorim may be more difficult to prise away from Lisbon.

Amorim was quoted in Portuguese media on Saturday as saying: "I've always been treated well in Portugal, they follow my day to day; abroad they watch European games and titles, not the daily context.

"I've always felt recognised. When I'm good, I'm the greatest. My goal is to get back to being very good."

Mikel Arteta did not hide his frustration with Arsenal's performance in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Sporting CP, but Fabio Vieira's display brought him a degree of pleasure.

The Gunners took the lead in the first half when William Saliba headed in from Vieira's corner, only for their hosts to level in similar circumstances just past the half-hour mark at the Jose Alvalade.

Paulinho put Sporting in front after the break with a tap-in, but Hidemasa Morita's own goal seven minutes later ultimately secured Arsenal a draw to take back to Emirates Stadium for the return leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

The draw puts Arsenal – who have only lost at home twice all season – in a decent position ahead of the second leg, but Arteta feels they can do better, even considering the somewhat unfamiliar look to his starting XI.

"We are conceding too many simple goals," he told reporters.

"We spoke about the importance of boxes, especially in a competition where you're in or out. [On Thursday], we didn't defend that well enough, and we have to be better at threatening the opponents as well.

"But of course, you have an opponent there. We've played some really emotional games recently.

"We made a lot of changes and sometimes that takes time to get that cohesion, and you could feel it in the first 15 minutes that it needed some time to adapt and click.

"If we don't expose them, though, that's never going to happen."

He added: "When you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe, it's very difficult to get a positive result.

"The game had different phases because we gave too many simple balls away in our own half and gave them the capacity to [exploit] transition moments, which they are good at.

"In other moments we had total control of the game and we lost a little bit of threat, especially with the four players we are missing in our frontline.

"There were some positives because we showed a lot of resilience to get back into the game, but we need to defend our box much better and be better on Sunday."

Vieira's performance was a surely one of those positives.

The Portugal international was given only his 13th start of the season, but his delivery for Saliba's opener was his sixth assist already – only Bukayo Saka (nine) has more for the Gunners this term, and he has played almost 1,600 minutes more than Vieira.

Arteta clearly values the former Porto midfielder.

"I'm really happy with him," he added. "I think he deserves more minutes than he's had, especially in the last two months.

"Obviously he had a difficult start because he was injured for two months after a surgery, and wasn't at the level that we want.

"You saw tonight he was probably our most dangerous player. He was always making things happen. He's a player that I absolutely love."

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