Spalletti: Juventus cannot afford weak moments against Celta Vigo

  /  autty

Luciano Spalletti believes his Juventus side "cannot afford moments where we seem weak" in their Europa League clash against Celta Vigo.

Juve won 5-0 on matchday one against NEC, converting five goals from just 11 shots to top the league phase.

The Bianconeri have also kept a clean sheet in each of their last four group stage games across the Europa League and Champions League.

Celta Vigo, meanwhile, have now lost their last three Europa League games, their worst ever losing run in major European competitions, and won just once in LaLiga this term (D5 L2).

However, Juventus are winless in their last six major European matches against Spanish teams (D3 L3) since a 3-0 win over Barcelona in December 2020, and Spalletti is wary of the threat posed by Celta.

"This competition gives us the possibility of expanding our knowledge of the group, because we need to play some new faces and allow others to recuperate for the next match," said Spalletti.

"We go into this competition the same way we do any tournament, as we must always battle to get as far as possible.

"There are teams in this competition that could easily have been in the Champions League and narrowly missed out, but are built for that level.

"Claudio Giraldez is a very good coach and he sets his team out in an interesting way, so we need to be at the right level that is fitting for our club.

"There is no fear, nor pressure upon us. Giraldez has shown he can field a team with quality and experience, so we cannot afford moments where we seem weak."

Celta and Juve met in the UEFA Cup in the last 16 stage in 1999-00 – after losing 1-0 away in the first leg, Celta won 4-0 at home in the second leg to progress.

Related: Juventus Celta de Vigo Luciano Spalletti
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