Nantes vs Juventus Prediction, Odds, Lineups – Europa League Playoffs

• It’s Nantes vs Juventus in the Europa League knockout round playoffs on Thursday, February 23
• The tie is finely balanced after last week’s 1-1 draw in Turin and Juve are favored in the Nantes vs Juventus odds on leg two
• Find our Nantes vs Juventus prediction below, where we look at the odds and offer some picks

It’s Nantes vs Juventus in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout round playoff on Thursday, February 23. Despite Juve being away from home, they are odds on favorites in the Nantes vs Juventus odds.

This tie remains on a knife edge after last Thursday’s first leg in Turin ended 1-1. Kickoff at the Stade de la Beaujoire is scheduled for 12:45pm ET.

We preview our Nantes vs Juventus picks, look at the odds, and offer some analysis, team news, and predictions below.

Nantes vs Juventus Odds

The bookmakers make the Italians odds-on favorites at -125 for the win, with a probability of 56%, while the Canaries of Nantes are listed at +370 for the home with a win probability of 21%.  The draw on the night, at +265, is implied at 27%. Odds as of February 22 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Nantes vs Juventus Over/Under and Spread

After a low-scoring first leg, the bookies are expecting something similar here, with over 2.5  goals on offer in plus money at +125, while the under is available at a less appealing -160.

Nantes vs Juventus Preview

Nantes’ outstanding 1-1 draw in Turin last week has left this tie wide open, and confirmed Nantes’ place back on the European stage after 22 seasons of competing only in domestic competitions.

In what their coach Antoine Kombouare described as a “heroic” performance, his team responded magnificently to going a goal down to Dusan Vlahovic’s 13th-minute opener for Juve. Instead of crumbling, they dug deep and pulled level through Ludovic Blas in the 60th minute.

J-2 𝘃𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝘀. #OnEstNantes pic.twitter.com/CK2070iUoZ

— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) February 21, 2023

Decent Home Form for Canaries

If Nantes are to progress to the knockout stage proper, it will be their first appearance there since 2000-01, when they made it through to the round-of-16 before losing over two legs to Porto. Domestically it has been a season of struggle for Kombouare’s men who are currently down in 13th place in Ligue 1 and, at the weekend, were beaten 3-1 by Lens.

A big plus for the Canaries, however, is their home form where they have lost just three times in their last 14 games. Among those wins were Europa League group stage victories over Olympiacos and Qarabag.

Euro Disaster for Juve

The Europa League is not the normal hunting ground for the Old Lady but after a disastrous Champions League campaign, in which they finished third in their group behind Benfica and PSG, they find themselves competing in Europe’s second tier for the first time in nine seasons.

A disappointing home draw last week has left this tie wide open but after dominating possession and only allowing their French opponents just a single effort on goal, they know it was one that got away. They should have been taking a lead to the Stade de la Beaujoire.

A spring in his step ⚽️↕️ pic.twitter.com/Nw5eNvjYUC

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) February 22, 2023

The Europa League Trophy in Juve’s Sights

It has also been a traumatic season off the pitch for the Old Lady, whose 15-point deduction for alleged financial irregularities has seen them drop to 7th in Serie A – a massive 30 points behind the leaders, Napoli. As a result, the Europa League is probably their best hope for a trophy and a route into Europe next season.

As result of their Champions League woes, Juve’s recent record in European competition is unimpressive and they have won only one of their last nine against continental opposition. On the flip side, they have some very good recent away form behind them – winning six of their last eight away matches in all competitions.

Nantes vs Juventus Team Lineups and Injuries

Nantes Projected Lineup: Lafont, Victor, Girotto, Pallois, Centonze, Sissoko, Chirivella, Moutoussamy, Coco, Blas, Mohamed.

Injuries & absences: Merlin, Ganago.

Juventus Projected Lineup: Szczesny, De Sciglio, Danilo, Bremer, Sandro, Fragioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Di Maria, Vlahovic, Kostic.

Injuries & absences: Pogba, Milik, Miretti, Jorge.

Nantes vs Juventus Head-to-Head Stats

Stats from UEFA Official site.

Nantes vs Juventus Prediction

Juve will consider themselves unlucky not to be taking a lead into this game and will not want lightning to strike twice. This time around they will be desperate to turn their dominance with the ball into goals, and I expect them to do so, albeit in a relatively low-scoring game in our Nantes vs Juventus prediction.

Nantes vs Juventus Pick: Juve to win (-125) / Juve to win 2-0 (+550)