Juventus will look to take the two positive steps required to book their place in the final of the Europa League, which will be held at their own stadium in May, when they take on Benfica in the two-legged semifinal starting Thursday at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.
Where to Watch Live:
The game is scheduled for an 9.05 pm local time (8.05 pm BST, 12.35 am IST, 3.05 pm ET) start with live coverage on Ten Action and Ten HD in India, Fox Sports in the US and ITV in the UK .
Watch the first leg via live streaming online in India HERE, while Latin America viewers can go HERE. Viewers in Australia can live stream the game HERE, with the UK option HERE or HERE. US viewers can catch the action courtesy live streaming HERE, with the option in Canada to watch the game live online HERE. Audience in the Middle East and North Africa can watch the match live online HERE, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can go HERE.
The Italian champions have recovered from the disappointment of crashing out in the Champions League group stages by reaching the semifinals of the Europa League, and Antonio Conte's men will feel a little let down if they don't make the final in their home turf.
Benfica, last year's finalists, though, will be a difficult prospect, with the Portuguese side in good spirits having just sealed the league title.
"It won't be straightforward. Benfica are a very strong team," Conte said. "They lost last year's Europa League final against Chelsea, who could be Champions League finalists this time around.
"They are sixth in the UEFA rankings and have consolidated their position even further by winning the league title. Jorge Jesus is a manager I have plenty of respect for, I had the pleasure of meeting him at the UEFA meeting and he's doing great things with his side.
"The fact that they have already sealed the title means they can exclusively focus on the Europa League, while we're still to reach our domestic goal. However, these are tiring but exciting times for us and we'll look to come out on top in both competitions."
Juve are comfortably clear in the Serie A as well, and barring a big collapse will defend their league title, which also allows Conte to focus more on the Europa League.
Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, after seeing his side agonisingly go down to Chelsea in the final last year, will be extra motivated to go one better in the Europa League and get his hands on the title.
The Portuguese champions comfortably saw off the challenge of AZ Alkmaar in the quarterfinals, while Juve were too strong for Lyon in the same stage.
Jesus, while knowing the importance of a sound first leg, believes the tie will not be decided at the end of 90 minutes in Lisbon.
"Nothing will be decided tomorrow," Jesus said on Wednesday. "It will be decided in the away match and we are prepared for a hard duel. Juve are tactically strong, playing a system that is not very common outside of Italy. But, apart from the setup, both sides are similar in terms of playing philosophy."
Benfica will be without Eduardo Salvio and Silvio, while Juventus duo Simone Pepe and Arturo Vidal are ruled out. Juve forward Carlos Tevez is a doubtful starter and faces a late fitness test.
