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.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Manchester United vs Athletic Club Bilbao in the Europa League 2024-25 semi-final second leg at the Old Trafford stadium in London. 

United are leading by 3-0 after the first leg, and they would be favourites to enter the final. However, Athletic Club Bilbao have everything in their armoury to surprise United at their home. 

Read Also | What would you rather choose? Crashing out in the UCL semis or winning the Europa League

Knowing United's home record this season, along with their inconsistent performances, we can expect a great fight from Bilbao. So, sit back and relax as Koushik Biswas brings you the buildup, LIVE updates and text commentary of the Manchester United vs Athletic Club Bilbao Europa League semi-final second leg match. 

Enjoy the coverage.

Trent John Alexander-Arnold has become a symbol of modern football excellence during his time at Liverpool Football Club. He made his senior debut in 2016 under Jurgen Klopp.

Trent quickly became a regular in the first team, changing the right-back role with his creativity, accurate passing, and attacking style.

One of Arnold's biggest moments came in the 2018–19 Champions League, during the famous semi-final comeback against Barcelona at Anfield. That season, Liverpool went on to win their sixth Champions League title, with Trent playing a crucial role throughout the tournament.

Read Also | Every Premier League club’s biggest Free Transfer Exit

Domestically, Alexander-Arnold was instrumental in Liverpool's 2019–20 Premier League title win, their first in 30 years.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's Stats for Liverpool FC (Overall)

Total Matches Played - 352

Goals Scored - 23

Assists Made - 92 

During his time at Liverpool FC, Trent Alexander-Arnold has won the following titles: 

• UEFA Champions League - 1 (2018-19)
• FIFA Club World Cup - 1 (2020)
• Premier League - 2 (2019-20, 2024-25)
• UEFA Super Cup - 1 (2019-20)
• FA Cup - 1 (2022)
• English League Cup - 2 (2022, 2024)
• Community Shield - 1 (2022-23)

UEFA Champions League Stats for Liverpool

Read Also | Champions League winners list since 1955/56

UEFA Europa League

 FIFA Club World Cup Stats

Premier League Stats

Read Also | Most Premier League Titles till 2025

UEFA Super Cup Stats

FA Cup Stats

English League Stats

Community Shield

The Champions League was earlier called the European Cup, and it started in 1955, and the first winner was Real Madrid. For the next 5 years, Real Madrid did not let anyone get close to the trophy.

Since then, 23 teams have won the glory, with Manchester City being the most recent one. As we get close to another UEFA Champions League final, we take a look at the Champions League winners list since 1965.

The Champions League winners list since 1955/56 is:

1956 - Real Madrid
1957 - Real Madrid
1958 - Real Madrid
1959 - Real Madrid
1960 - Real Madrid
1961 - Benfica
1962 - Benfica
1963 - AC Milan
1964 - Inter Milan
1965 - Inter Milan
1966 - Real Madrid
1967 - Celtic
1968 - Manchester United
1969- AC Milan
1970- Feyenoord
1971 - Ajax
1972 - Ajax
1973 - Ajax
1974 - Bayern
1975 - Bayern
1976 - Bayern
1977 - Liverpool
1978 - Liverpool
1979 - Nottingham Forest
1980 - Nottingham Forest
1981 - Liverpool
1982 - Aston Villa
1983 - Hamburger SV|
1984 - Liverpool
1985 - Juventus FC
1986 - Steaua București
1987 - FC Porto
1988 - PSV
1989 - AC Milan 
1990 - AC Milan
1991 - Red Star Belgrade
1992 - Barcelona
1993 - Olympique de Marseille
1994 - AC Milan
1995 - Ajax
1996 - Juventus FC
1997 - Borussia Dortmund
1998 - Real Madrid
1999 - Manchester United
2000 - Real Madrid
2001 - Bayern 
2002 - Real Madrid
2003 - AC Milan
2004 - Porto
2005 - Liverpool
2006 - Barcelona
2007 - AC Milan
2008 - Manchester United
2009 - Barcelona
2010 - Inter Milan
2011 - Barcelona
2012 - Chelsea FC
2013 - Bayern Munich
2014 - Real Madrid
2015 - Barcelona
2016 - Real Madrid
2017 - Real Madrid
2018 - Real Madrid
2019 - Liverpool
2020 - Bayern Munich
2021 - Chelsea FC
2022 - Real Madrid
2023 - Manchester City
2024 - Real Madrid

Let's have a look at the teams with the most trophies since 1955/56: 

Real Madrid x 15
AC Milan x 7
Bayern x 6 
Liverpool FC x 6
FC Barcelona x 5
Ajax x 4
Inter x 3
Manchester United x 3
Juventus x 2 
Benfica x 2
Nottingham Forest  x 2
Porto x 2
Chelsea x 3
Celtic x 1
Hamburger SV x 1
Steaua București x 1 
Olympique de Marseille x 1
Borussia Dortmund x 1
Feyenoord x 1
Aston Villa x 1
PSV x 1
Red Star Belgrade x 1
Manchester City x 1

Manchester United have stormed into the headlines after beating Olympique Lyonnais 5-4 in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League 2024-25 Quarter-finals last night, advancing to the semi-finals with a breathtaking 7-6 aggregate. 

Unbelievable.#UEL pic.twitter.com/EtpedjkEL8

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 17, 2025

The Red Devils also became the first-ever European team to score two goals in the 120th minute of a major European match, which completed a supernatural comeback for them at the Theatre of Dreams.

A total of 13 goals from both sides defined their destiny, as Manchester United have sealed their passage to the semis, whereas Lyon's continental journey has come to an end.

In this article, we explore the list of Europa League knockout ties for the most goals scored.

Read Also | Manchester United shortlist Lyon star Rayan Cherki as new transfer target

Most Goals in a Europa League Knockout Tie

14 Goals | Rangers 9-5 Royal Antwerp (2020/21)

Rangers earned a gloriously chaotic 9-5 aggregate win over Royal Antwerp in the Round of 32, which is still the highest-scoring two-legged tie in the UEFA Cup/Europa League knockout round.

14 - Rangers 9-5 Royal Antwerp is the highest-scoring two-legged tie in the UEFA Cup/Europa League since Helsingborgs 8-6 Heerenveen in the 2007-08 first round. Entertainment. pic.twitter.com/frch3j5pq4

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 25, 2021

Rangers defeated Antwerp 4-3 in the first leg encounter at the Bosulistadion in Belgium, securing a slender lead in the tie. The second leg turned out to be an absolute rampage as the Scottish side netted four second-half goals at the Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, winning 5-2 and securing their qualification to the next round of the competition.

13 Goals | Porto 10-3 Spartak Moskva (2010/11)

FC Porto displayed absolute domination over Spartak Moskva in the 2010-11 Europa League quarter-finals, beating them 10-3 on aggregate. 

🔵⚪ Em 2010/11, o FC Porto conquistou quatro troféus. O primeiro foi a Supertaça, com uma vitória sobre o Benfica por 2-0
⚽ Rolando e Falcao marcaram os golos
👉 https://t.co/XoxFO4DMap#FCPorto #FCPCDA #supertaça pic.twitter.com/OArowgPU3S

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) August 3, 2018

Porto, who also became the eventual champions of the edition, crushed Spartak in the very first leg at home, beating them 5-1 at Estádio do Dragão in Portugal. The second leg also saw the André Villas-Boas-coached Porto side dominating the Russian team, beating them 5-2 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

13 Goals | Lyon 11-2 AZ Alkmaar (2016/17)

Olympique Lyonnais ran riot over AZ Alkmaar in the 2016-17 Europa League Round of 32, beating the Dutch side 11-2 over two legs.

Véritable récital offensif ce soir au @ParcOL !!
La #teamOL bat @AZAlkmaar sur le score de 7 buts à 1 !!
Direction les 8e de finale !! 👊🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/AzRSWyXAwG

— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) February 23, 2017

Lyon defeated AZ 4-1 in the first leg, played away at the AFAS Stadion in the Netherlands. In the return leg at OL Stadium, the French outfit went ruthless against AZ, earning a massive 7-1 victory at home.

13 Goals | Manchester United 8-5 Roma (2020/21)

Last night was not the first time that Manchester United took part in a goals galore, as they thrashed AS Roma 8-5 on aggregate in the 2020-21 UEL semi-finals.

Man United practically secured their passage to the final with a magnificent 6-2 win in the first leg, scoring five goals in the second half at Old Trafford. The next game at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome ended in a 3-2 win for Roma. However, United entered the final.

HT: Man United 1-2 Roma
88' Man United 6-2 Roma

What a come back from Man United 👏 pic.twitter.com/2XJ9tcytjl

— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) April 29, 2021

This was also the last time the Red Devils qualified for a European competition final, though they lost to Villareal in a gut-wrenching penalty shoot-out.

13 Goals | Liverpool 11-2 Sparta Praha (2023/24)

Liverpool had a resounding victory over Sparta Praha, beating them 11-2 over two legs in last season's UEL Round of 16.

9 - Liverpool progressed past Sparta Prague 11-2 on aggregate; their biggest margin of victory over a two-legged tie in European football since the 1980-81 campaign against Finnish side OPS (also 11-2 on aggregate, in the European Cup first round). Cruise. pic.twitter.com/ZeTSkpEZoc

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 14, 2024

In the first leg at Stadion Letná in Prague, the Reds earned a brilliant 5-1 victory, securing a massive four-goal cushion in the tie. In the second leg at Anfield, Liverpool dismantled the Czech side, thrashing them 6-1 at home to qualify for the quarter-finals.

However, the English side's campaign ended after losing to eventual champions Atalanta in the quarters.

13 Goals | Manchester United 7-6 Lyon (2024/25)

Manchester United and Olympique Lyonnais have gifted us one of the most memorable Europa League knockout ties this season, as the Red Devils were through to the semi-finals after a knife-edge 7-6 victory over two legs in the quarter-finals.

A comeback for the ages at Old Trafford.

Manchester United, who trailed 10-man Lyon 4-2 with six minutes remaining, win 5-4 on the night and 7-6 on aggregate thanks to Harry Maguire's late winner.

Have you ever seen anything like that?

Incredible. #MUFC | #UEL pic.twitter.com/GCeIgaBmnj

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 17, 2025

Rayan Cherki's last-minute strike salvaged a 2-2 draw at home for Lyon against United in the first leg played at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France. The return leg was absolute cinema, as Manchester United's 2-0 lead at the break was overcome by Lyon as they scored four until the break of the added extra time.

However, Kobie Mainoo and Harry Maguire netted two goals after the 120th minute to fire Manchester United into the Europa League semi-finals, winning the game by 5-4.

UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are the two pinnacles of European club tournaments, awarding the coveted continental silverware to the top clubs in Europe. 

Borth tournaments are prestigious for clubs competing in these, and hold different merits and various aspects of prizes that come with these silverware. 

However, if you are a fan of a top club that crashed out of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, you would definitely be disheartened. But, on the other end, if your club clinches the Europa League, would you celebrate it in the same manner when your club reached the UCL semis?

This may be a tough choice for fans who naturally covet the utmost success for their beloved clubs. But this question may always arise in every football fan's mind, which one is better to choose? Crashing out in the UCL semis or winning the Europa League?

Sportz Point delves into this interesting discussion through this article.

Read Also | UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarterfinals schedule: Everything you need to know

Crashing out of UEFA Champions League Semis: Pros and Cons

Advantages 

Playing in the UEFA Champions League is already competing at the highest level, and reaching the semifinals is a very significant achievement. 

• If a mid-table club in the top five European leagues manages, or a club that belongs to a league other than the lower coefficients in the UEFA European leagues ranking, reaching this level can also provide valuable experience for the team and contribute to their reputation.
• Reaching the semifinals demonstrates a lot about the team. It means they were able to overcome the best clubs in Europe and reach the knockout stage.
• If looked at from a monetary point of view, the UCL semifinalists receive a prize money of €15 million that helps the teams to look forward to their future. The Champions League also draws more marketing or TV ratings.

UEFA prize money distribution (as of 31 Jan):

7⃣3⃣% to UCL clubs (€2.14 billion)
1⃣8⃣% to UEL clubs (€528 million)
9⃣% to UECL clubs (€265 million) pic.twitter.com/anllbpFPQK

— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) January 31, 2025

Disadvantages 

Losing at this stage can be disappointing, especially if the team had induced high hopes of winning the tournament. For example, Ajax in the 2018-19 UCL claimed attention in the best possible way, beating defending champions Real Madrid on the way, but crashed out of the semi-finals.

• If a team loses in the semifinals without winning anything in the domestic league, it will be considered a disastrous trophyless season. Very few people would be impressed by a club simply for reaching the semifinals.
• On the contrary, a semi-final defeat can disrupt a team's momentum, potentially affecting their performance in domestic competitions.
• This also may lead to a massive exodus of players from the club, especially if the club is not an European powerhouse already. The top European players will go after the players who performed well for the team, leading to the dismantling of the core group, making it harder to repeat the feat in the future continental competitions. 

Winning the UEFA Europa League: Pros and Cons

Advantages 

For most of the clubs, winning a silverware is a huge achievement. Winning the Europa League has its own advantages, considering that most of the mid-table or apparently mediocre clubs compete in this tournament.

• Winning the Europa League guarantees a continental silverware, which is always better than a trophy-less season. It also ensures a direct qualification in the next season's Champions League.
• The winners of the Europa League also meet the Champions League winners in a season-end competition, called the UEFA Super Cup, which presents another opportunity to clinch another silverware.
• Winning a major European trophy significantly enhances a club's global status and reputation. This success can attract sponsors, and elite players as well.

Disadvantages 

• The biggest drawback of taking part in the Europa League, particularly of winning it, is the scheduling of midweek games. This may lead to a congested fixture, resulting in fatigue among the players as well as higher injury risks. Consequently, this affects the players' performance within domestic leagues or other tournaments. The Thursday-Sunday format of the Europa League puts more pressure on players than the Tuesday-Wednesday format of the Champions League.
• Although it is a big silverware, the Europa League is usually less prestigious than the Champions League, and therefore makes it less attractive than the clubs competing in the UCL.
• Comparing to the Champions League, the Europa League offers lower prize money. This will be a downer for the clubs that are reliant on their European competition-generated revenue, more so those operating outside the major five European clubs.

The difference in prize money between 108 clubs playing UCL, UEL and UECL visualized. pic.twitter.com/T5IZwmOhsC

— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) December 14, 2024

Conclusion: Which is better?

To be honest, it is subjective and depends on different contexts.

For a world-class team that can contest the Champions League, playing in the Europa League could be a disappointment or a consolation for the team, the management and mostly, for the supporters.

However, if a team has no practical hope of winning the Champions League but can contest the title for the Europa League, it would be preferable to lift the trophy instead of qualifying to the semi-finals.

In conclusion, the Champions League semi-final defeat is an indicator of greater competition and ability, while the Europa League win is a concrete victory. So, we can say that there is no definite 'better' result between these two.