Juventus vs Nantes: UEL Knockout Playoff Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

Juventus vs Nantes is next as Juventus will welcome Nantes to the Allianz Stadium for the first leg of the play-offs on Thursday.

Juventus vs Nantes: Matche Preview:

Happiness and satisfaction have been rare commodities in Turin in 2023, but there's no time to moan as their Champions League bid hangs by a thread.

Hit by a massive 15-point deduction for financial irregularities in mid-January, Juventus lag 12 points behind the Serie A top four following a narrow 1-0 home win over Fiorentina on Sunday. Adrien Rabiot's first-half strike stretched Bianconeri's winning streak to three matches in domestic competitions. But that was a mere consolation given their current position in the Serie A standings. 

Stuck in mid-table, Juventus must seek an alternate way into next season's Champions League group stages. There's a feeling that lifting the Europa League title this term is their best chance of returning to Europe's elite competition in 2023/24. But Massimiliano Allegri's men have flopped in continental action this season through and through. 

Antoine Kombouare's side reached the Europa League knockouts as the second-lowest scorers among teams to have finished second in their group (G6). Yet, they should still be proud of themselves for making it to a knockout stage of a major European competition for the first time in over 20 years.

Team News:

Juventus:

Juventus will welcome veteran defender Leonardo Bonucci back to the fold after a two-month absence. But Allegri won't be able to call upon the services of Arkadiusz Milik, Fabio Miretti, and Paul Pogba.

🎯👉 #JUVNAN pic.twitter.com/eZsPjjtdmu

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) February 15, 2023

Nantes:

On the other hand, Nantes will be without Ignatius Ganago, Moses Simon, and Quentin Merlin, with the latter two still struggling with injuries.

Juventus Stadium.

👊 @mmostafa_11 pic.twitter.com/8DrLDATAXj

— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) February 15, 2023

Juventus vs Nantes: Head to Head:

Juventus have not faced Nantes in the Europa League before.

Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic has scored eight goals in 12 league starts for Juventus this season.

French midfielder Adrien Rabiot has managed six goal contributions in 17 league starts for Juventus.

Midfielder Ludovic Blas has six goal contributions in the league in 19 starts for Nantes this season.

📹 #JUVNAN ➖1️⃣

Live the eve of Thursday's Europa League clash together with the team 📺⤵️

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) February 15, 2023

Nigerian forward Moses Simon has five goals in the league in 19 starts so far for Nantes.

Predicted Line-ups:

Juventus Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; De Sciglio, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria, Vlahovic.

Nantes Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lafont; Hadjam, Girotto, Castelletto, Centonze; Moutoussamy, Sissoko; Blas, Mollett, Guessand; Delort

Key Stats

• Juventus have won five of their last seven matches at home in all competitions (D1 L1).
• The Bianconeri have kept a clean sheet in eight of their last 12 matches across all competitions.
• However, Juventus have lost six of their last seven matches in Europe (W1), including each of their last three on the spin.
• Nantes have lost just one of their last 12 games across all boards (W7 D4) — a run that dates back to November 6.
• That said, the visitors have only scored six goals in the Europa League group phase, the second-lowest total among all teams to have qualified for the knockout rounds.

JUV vs NAN: Fantasy XI

Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Centonze; Moutoussamy,Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria, Vlahovic, Delort.