Juventus will aim to book their spot in the UEFA Europa League Last 16 when they make a potentially season-defining trip to the Stade de la Beaujoire to face Nantes in the return leg of their finely-balanced Europa League knockout playoff tie.
Nantes will be the happier of the two sides to still remain alive in the tie after playing out a 1-1 draw in the first encounter in Italy. They went behind early on and rode their luck several times before Ludovic Blas equalised midway through the second half thanks to a lightning-quick transitional play.
Kombouare’s side has been hot and cold throughout the domestic season, failing to consolidate on their European qualification campaign from the previous season, and are currently languishing in upper-mid table positions, 11 points away from the final Europa Conference League spot.
The French outfit did not have the finest preparation for the second leg, as they were thrashed 3-1 at Lens in Ligue 1 last Sunday. They will, however, remain confident because it was their third defeat in the previous fourteen matches across all competitions (W7 D4).
Following their failure to advance past the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2013/14, Juventus have been touted as one of the leading contenders to lift the Europa League trophy. This seems to be their best chance of securing next season’s Champions League berth following the points deduction imposed on them earlier this season.
Juventus will be rueing themselves for failing to take the lead despite dominating the first meeting due to their profligate finishing. They had multiple chances to increase their one-goal advantage in the first half, with Federico Chiesa hitting the woodwork, but, in the end, Dusan Vlahovic’s early effort was wiped off by the French side.
Nevertheless, they will be confident about their chances of progressing after returning to winning ways last Sunday, picking up a 2-0 victory at Spezia thanks to goals from Moise Kean and Angel Di Maria. Massimiliano Allegri’s side are now undefeated in their last five matches, clinching four victories in that run.
Europe League
24/02 04:00 AM (GMT +8): Manchester United vs Barcelona
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