Juventus goes against Nantes in the first leg of their playoff match in the Europa League, hoping to get the first win for better chances. A place in the last 16 is at stake in this match, so these two teams need to do their best to win. On their domestic leagues, these two teams are from different campaign. Juventus is currently struggling this season, because of the crisis they are facing. Meanwhile, it is the opposite for Nantes as they are doing well in Ligue 1, losing just one of their last seven games. This meeting will be on February 17, 2023, at 4:00 AM (GMT+8), with Juventus as hosts.
These two teams have never faced each other in the Europa League. The hosts eyes to come back stronger in the tournament, after their not-so-good attempt last season. They were crashed in the Group H, where they lost five times, eliminating them early in the contest. In their domestic league, they are at the ninth spot, with 29 points across their name. As for the visitors, they are in a good momentum right now, progressing in their national cup. They currently boost a good record recently, where they can gain confidence from.
Juventus
This squad is coming from a 1-0 win against Fiorentina in their domestic league. Although it is just a narrow win, a win is still a win, where they can draw strength from. It was Adrien Rabiot who gave Juventus the victory on that match. Currently sitting at the ninth of their domestic league, it is likely to say that they can now bid goodbye to their hopes of lifting the trophy. Due to their poor performance in the Champions League, they have been demoted in the Europa League. Additionally, their internal issues have affected their campaign, thus slumping in their recent results. At some point, they are still hopeful for a silver lining to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Juventus is fortunate that they finally have Federico Chiesa back in their squad after a long-term injury he sustained. Additionally, their captain, Leonardo Bonucci is also back for this squad, while Juan Cuadrado has now recovered from illness. However, Arkadiusz Milik will still be on the sidelined, following his hamstring injury.
Nantes
Nantes is also coming from a win against Lorient on their previous domestic match. It was a second half goal from Ludovic Blas who helped Nantes secure the deal. This squad is currently at the 13th of the league, winning three of their last five league games. With that being said, expect this squad to be on a good momentum in this game. In their Europa League group, they were able to finish at the second, five points behind Freiburg. For this squad, they have many familiar names who are now playing for their squad. Luckily, these new additions are doing well for Nantes, helping their squad.
Due to an adductor problem, Nantes will be without Quentin Merlin, while Nicolas Pallois returned to full training after a knee injury. Moses Simon on the other hand is expected to play if he finally pass fit. Moreover, Ignatius Ganago is going to miss this match as well due to his personal reasons.
Prediction:
Juventus (1.5)
Odds: -0.84
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