Balaídos prepares to welcome Juventus in the Europa League

Balaídos is preparing to welcome Juventus in a gala atmosphere for a Europa League fixture that carries a Champions League feel because of the standing of the opposition. The match is seen as an important chance for Celta to emerge from an uneven start to the season and begin a positive run under Claudio Giráldez. Juventus, too, has struggled for consistency, according to the preview of the coming contest.

Celta will go into the game after losing to Omonia in its opening match. It can, however, draw on a home precedent: the club has beaten Juventus on its own ground before. In 1999-2000, in the last 16 of the Copa de la EUFA, Celta produced a 4-0 victory to overturn a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Turin. Juventus has also gone six matches without beating a Spanish team in Europe.

Febas and Moriba are expected to provide Giráldez with important support in midfield, with his options described as limited. The coach is characterised as someone who favours possession and taking risks—an approach that does not necessarily fit the constraints he is facing. The fixture at Balaídos therefore gives Celta a chance to draw on its history against Juventus as it seeks to change its current momentum.