Europa League official line-ups: Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen

TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 06: Nick Woltemade of Juventus applauds the fans after the Serie A match between Juventus and AC Milan at Allianz Stadium on September 06, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Pape Matar Sarr, Nick Woltemade and Kamil Grabara get their first Juventus starts as Luciano Spalletti shuffles his pack for the Europa League opener against NEC Nijmegen.

It kicks off at Allianz Stadium at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

This is the opening fixture in the league phase of the competition, so all the results go into a big table, facing four opponents at home and four away.

Juventus are in the Europa League after finishing sixth in Serie A last season, and arrive in need of a lift. Spalletti’s side beat Parma and drew with Milan before Sunday’s 3-2 collapse at Sassuolo, where Edon Zhegrova’s double off the bench twice hauled them level only for Vasilije Adzic to win it against his parent club in stoppage time. It is the second worst league start the Bianconeri have made in eight years, and the coach’s position has become a talking point.

Zhegrova, remarkably, drops out despite those two goals, with Weston McKennie and Karim Alajbegovic supporting Woltemade in attack. Francisco Conceicao, therefore, makes way.

Federico Gatti comes into the back three, alongside Pierre Kalulu and Jhon Lucumi, while Sarr partners the retained Douglas Luiz in midfield. Nico Gonzalez and Zeki Celik take the flanks. Kamil Grabara starts in goal.

NEC are a tougher proposition than the name suggests. Dick Schreuder’s side finished third in the Eredivisie last season, their best finish in decades, and reached the KNVB Cup final – a competition they have now lost six times without ever lifting it. They only dropped into this competition after losing a Champions League play-off to Bodo/Glimt.

Domestic form has been patchier, with the Dutch side currently 10th, though they warmed up for Turin with a 3-0 win over Cambuur.

This is NEC’s first competitive meeting with Juventus, and the start of a league phase that also takes them to Dinamo Zagreb and Benfica.

Juventus: Vicario; Kalulu, Gatti, Lucumi; Nico Gonzalez, Sarr, Douglas Luiz, Celik; McKennie, Alajbegovic; Woltemade

NEC: Polster; Storm, Sandler, Kabar; Dele, Tadic, Nejasmic, Bischoff; Lebreton, Chery, Linssen