Juventus vs Nantes prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-02-15 20:00.
Juventus parachuted into this UEFA Europa League (UEL) knockout play-off following an unsuccessful UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign when they lost five of their six group stage outings (W1), their worst ever performance in that competition! Now Juventus are one of the favourites to lift the heaviest of all UEFA silverware, with the UEL trophy weighing in at a hefty 15kg!
After being hit with a massive 15-point penalty in mid-January for false accounting, the Bianconeri find themselves 12 points adrift of Serie A’s top-four, meaning their best chance of qualifying for the UCL 2023/24 would be to win the UEL. To continue Juventus' unbeaten home record in the UEL (W5, D6), Massimiliano Allegri will be boosted by the return of veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci after a two-month absence.
This is not exactly good news for Nantes, who were the second-lowest scorers (G6) among the teams that finished second in their UEL group, but they still must be delighted to make their first appearance in a major European knockout stage in over 20 years! This tie against Juventus brings back memories of Nantes' golden era, as the last time these two sides met was in the UCL semi-finals back in 1996, with the Canaries losing the first leg 2-0 at Turin.
The visitors are clear outsiders here, but their 2-0 win away to reigning Greek champions Olympiacos in their last UEL outing means that another upset is certainly not impossible. Despite their great run of four away league clean sheets (W2, D2) approaching this tie, Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré remains cautious, saying that his players "approach this game with humility and serenity”.
Players to watch: With Arkadiusz Milik injured, Juventus will hope Dušan Vlahović can find the net given they’ve not lost any of the seven matches that he’s scored in this campaign (W6, D1). On a similar note, Ludovic Blas has led Nantes to a win in each of his last three goalscoring away matches, including their last UEL road trip.
Hot streak: Each of Nantes’ three UEL away matches in 2022/23 have featured one goal in the 71th-80th minute period.