Juventus travel to Vigo with the Europa League already carrying more than a Thursday-night obligation. A 5-0 opening win over NEC has given Luciano Spalletti’s side an early platform, and victory against Celta would strengthen a route that could reshape both the season and the club’s European standing.
A competition with a larger meaning for Juventus
The Europa League does not have the profile or financial weight of the Champions League, but lifting it would offer Juventus a direct return to Europe’s leading competition for 2027-28. It is a shorter route than a full league campaign, though hardly an easy one, and the club have reason to treat it as a major objective.
- Juventus have not won a trophy outside Italy for 30 years.
- Their most recent UEFA Cup success came in 1992-93, in the era of Roberto Baggio.
- The club marked the anniversary of the 1996 European Cup triumph over Ajax, won on penalties in Rome, in May.
- On 5 February 2027, Juventus will reach the 30th anniversary of their European Super Cup success.
- The more recent European record has brought frustration, most notably the Europa League semi-final exit to Sevilla in 2023.
For a club accustomed to measuring itself against continental history, that gap has become too long. Juventus finished sixth in Serie A, a result that has forced a reassessment of priorities. The Europa League is now not merely a consolation competition, but an opportunity to put a different shape on the campaign.
Spalletti seeks his first European trophy
The competition also carries a personal significance for Spalletti. He has collected major domestic honours across his work with Roma, Zenit and Napoli, with the Scudetto in Naples the defining achievement of his career. Yet his name is still absent from UEFA’s roll of trophy-winning coaches.
That places him apart from several Italian contemporaries and predecessors who have secured major international honours. Arrigo Sacchi, Marcello Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni and Fabio Capello all occupy that European history, while Maurizio Sarri won the Europa League with Chelsea, Roberto Mancini led Italy to the European Championship, Gian Piero Gasperini took Atalanta to the Europa League, and Enzo Maresca won the Conference League with Chelsea.
Spalletti began the season speaking of the Champions League he felt was missing from his career. Giovanni Carnevali, Juventus’s chief executive, said that the coach no longer makes that point. Carnevali, only a few months into his Turin role, has made clear that the club intend to pursue the Europa League seriously.
“Thursday matches make the calendar more complicated, and this is a demanding competition,” Carnevali said, “but Juventus want to win the trophy.”
For Spalletti, the prize would end the absence of a European honour from his own record and could give his final years in management a distinctive place in Juventus history.
Vigo offers a chance to change the season’s rhythm
The Celta fixture arrives after a disappointing draw at Cagliari. Spalletti reviewed footage of that match with his players on the eve of the trip, hoping that Europe can provide the momentum which has so far been missing in the league season.
He is expected to continue with the rotation policy used for cup football. Zeki Celik missed training with a back problem, and the coach will decide whether the defender remains in Turin or travels to Spain to begin among the substitutes.
Likely changes against Celta
- Federico Gatti and Lloyd Kelly are expected to return to the starting side, likely alongside Bremer.
- Andrea Cambiaso is set to feature on the flank.
- Alajbegovic could start in the attacking midfield role.
- Nick Woltemade is likely to lead the line.
After the emphatic result against NEC, Juventus have a chance in Vigo to make their European campaign feel less like a detour from their domestic problems and more like the competition that can define their year. For Spalletti and the club, the Europa League has become an opening worth taking seriously.
