Juventus will be looking to carry their recent good form into the Europa League as they host Nantes in the first leg of the knockout playoffs.
It has been a disappointing campaign for Juventus, who have had plenty of problems this season. First, they crashed out of the Champions League after claiming just one win in six group stage matches and were recently docked 15 points by the Serie A.
The task now for Juventus will be to march on in the second half of the season and salvage what they can from the campaign. Massimiliano Allegri’s men have already started showing signs of resurgence and head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina which was their third straight win.
One thing at the heart of Juventus’ resurgence is Dusan Vlahovic’s return to form having scored two goals in his last three matches. They have also remained solid at the other end of the pitch, keeping clean sheets in their last three fixtures.
Nantes finished second during the group stage of the Europa League to book their place in the knockout playoffs. Having struggled in the earlier part of the campaign, they needed wins in their final two group matches to progress.
One of the problem for Nantes during the group stage of the Europa League was a poor record on their travels. Antoine Koumbouare’s men had lost at Qarabag and Freiburg, failing to score in both maths before claiming a 2-0 victory over Olympiakos on the final match-day.
The French side’s build-up to Thursday’s clash has been erratic, as they needed penalties to progress in a few domestic Cup competitions while also suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Marseille. However, they will travel to Turin off the back of a 1-0 victory over Lorient in a Ligue 1 fixture last Saturday.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Juventus as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 2/5 with Coral. A victory for Nantes is valued at 17/2 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 4/1 by bet365.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Juventus and Nantes.
Players to watch
Juventus have been driven by a sturdy defence in recent weeks, keeping clean sheets in their last three matches. Centre-back Gleison Bremer has been pivotal at the heart of the Turin club’s defence and can lead them to another clean sheet at 5/6 with bet365.
At the other end of the pitch, Dusan Vlahovic’s return to form will be a massive boost for Juventus. The striker has two goals in his last three matches and could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at evens with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Juventus’ solid defensive record and with Nantes not particularly prolific on their travels in the Europa League, BTTS NO could be considered at 8/11 with BetVictor.
The Turin club have won to nil in their last three matches and could be set for a repeat at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
Juventus are expected to be dominant on Thursday and can be tipped in the -1 handicap market at 11/10 with bet365.
This UEFA Europa League match between Juventus and Nantes will be played on Feb 16, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Juventus vs Nantes prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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