Juventus will approach their Europa League campaign aiming to winning the competition as it’s their best chance to grab a spot for next season’s Champions League group stage.
Bianconeri’s first rival will be Ligue 1 side Nantes, the first leg will be played tomorrow in Turin and during today’s press conference Nantes’ coach Antoine Kombouaré has confirmed he sees Juventus as a main contender.
“Juventus are among the teams that can win the Europa League alongside Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal. I’ve heard Allegri saying that they have to win the Europe League to get a Champions League’s spot, they’re among the favourites with full merit.
“The’ve received a 15 points deduction and in Serie A there are a lot of teams fighting for a Champions League spot. Nevertheless they’re stronger than us, it’s a great team, we will try to give our best, closing the gap with a great will”.
Nantes won’t be the easiest opponent for Juventus as they have only lost one of their last 12 games among all competitions.
The two teams met during the 1995/96 season in the Champions League’s semi-finals with each team grabbing a win while Juventus secured their place in the final.
United take on Barcelona in their play-off round clash and it is expected to be a close tie between the two potential favourites for the competition
Andrea Agostinelli | GIFN
