Heavyweights Slug It Out in Lisbon

The Estadio da Luz should set the stage for a glamorous Europa League semi-final with Juventus desperate to end a continental trophy drought that dates back to 1999.

On the verge of a third consecutive Serie A title, ‘the Old Lady’ is certainly capable again, but concerns surround two of their main attacking threats on Thursday night. Both Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez have been recovering from minor knocks but boss Antonio Conte is wary of rushing either man back before they are ready.

Given that this is a two legged contest, we may well see Conte adopt a particularly defensive approach in Portugal with the hope that a couple of his star men will be 100% for the return in Turin.

Juventus have been excellent on their travels lately, particularly defensively, winning six of their last seven matches on the road to nil in all competitions.

But Benfica are a mighty force on their own patch. They are unbeaten in 12 European encounters there when Champions League is included; in Europa League only, their record is even better (W15 D2 L0).

When you weight it all up, a 1-0 home win seems probable at best odds of 15/2 with Ladbrokes. That would leave all to play for in next week’s second leg.