On October 15, Juventus will visit Celta Vigo in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League. After the opening matchday, the Turin club tops the standings and aims to consolidate its lead.
Juventus have a large fan base across MENA and Africa, and this season, MelBet, the club’s official regional partner, will join supporters in following every important moment of the team’s campaign.
Juventus’ resounding success on Matchday 1
Italy’s most decorated club is one of the leading contenders in this season’s Europa League. Juventus underlined that status with a commanding 5-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen in their first match. Nico González impressed and opened the scoring. Zeki Çelik was solid defensively and supported the attack, while Randal Kolo Muani recorded a goal and an assist in a 20-minute cameo off the bench.
After the match, head coach Luciano Spalletti praised the team’s cohesion and aggression. He singled out Kolo Muani but said he expected more from him in duels.
Another talking point was Kamil Grabara’s assist – an unusual contribution from a goalkeeper.
Next up: Celta look to recover from a poor start
Celta went winless in their first seven matches of the season, losing three, including a 1-0 defeat to Omonia in their Europa League opener. They scored just three goals during that spell. One reason for their limited attacking output was the absence of Borja Iglesias, last season’s top scorer. He missed preseason preparations because of his involvement in the 2026 World Cup, then suffered an injury.
Despite those results, Celta remain difficult opponents. Their game is built on possession and aggressive counterpressing, and they beat both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid last season.
However, the Spanish side remains inconsistent. Before the international break, Claudio Giráldez’s team beat Racing Santander 5-0, but last weekend, Celta drew 0-0 away to Elche, one of LALIGA’s struggling teams.
Juventus, meanwhile, earned an 1-1 draw against Cagliari, one of the strongest teams in the opening weeks of the Serie A season.
What to expect
Juventus are the favorites against Celta. MelBet experts put their chances of victory at 46%, compared with 27% for the hosts.
To win, Spalletti’s team will need to break up Celta’s attacks in midfield. Much will depend on Douglas Luiz. Nico González spent last season with Atlético and knows Spanish football well. His intelligent movement in the opposition half could help Juventus find space. Jhon Lucumí will be just as important: the defender was almost faultless at the back on Matchday 1 and also provided an assist.
The rout of NEC demonstrated Juventus’ Europa League ambitions, but a busy stretch of the season lies ahead. After facing Celta, they will take on Rennes on October 22. Those two games, together with the Serie A meeting with Lazio on October 18, will show how ready the Bianconeri are to compete on multiple fronts.
For Luciano Spalletti, this is also an opportunity to test his squad depth and balance the pursuit of results with his players’ workload.
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