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NEC Nijmegen will make club history on Thursday when they take on Juventus in their first-ever Europa League appearance at the Allianz Stadium. The Italian giants, meanwhile, are featuring in Europe’s second-tier club competition for the first time since reaching the semi-finals in 2023, and will be aiming to make another deep run.
Read our Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen preview, while you can also find more of our expert predictions on today's betting tips page.
Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen key stats
- Juventus are unbeaten in eight of their last nine Europa League matches, picking up four wins and four draws.
- NEC Nijmegen have failed to win all but one of their most recent six matches in all competitions, losing four and claiming one draw since August 19.
- Juventus have lost just one of their most recent nine competitive home matches, while claiming five wins and three draws since February 25.
Whispers predicts: Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen:
Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen — Tale of the Tape
| Juventus | vs | NEC Nijmegen |
|---|---|---|
| 8th (Italian Serie A) | Position | 10th (Eredivisie) |
| 7 | Points | 7 |
| 6 | Goals For | 11 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 12 |
| 2 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 5th | Home / Away Rank | 7th |
Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday when they were beaten 3-2 by Sassuolo in a frenetic contest that saw four goals scored in the final 12 minutes at the Mapei Stadium.
Following a goalless first half, Sebastiano Esposito and Kieron Bowie both hit the target to put Sassuolo in front twice in the game, but Edon Zhegrova restored parity for the visitors on each occasion, before Juventus loanee Vasilije Adzic netted a 94th-minute curler to sink the visitors.
Juventus had kicked off the season with back-to-back victories, edging out Frosinone 1-0 at the Stadio Benito Stirpe and claiming a 2-0 home win over Parma in August, before fighting back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against AC Milan on September 6.
Luciano Spalletti’s side will now look to shake off last weekend’s defeat as they turn their sights to the Europa League, where they will be aiming to clinch their fourth title, having won the then-UEFA Cup on three occasions, most recently in 1993, when they thrashed German outfit Borussia Dortmund 6-1 on aggregate in the final.
Juventus secured qualification for the Europa League after missing out on Champions League qualification due to a late-season decline last term, as they failed to win four of their final five matches in the run-in, including a gut-wrenching 2-2 derby stalemate against Torino — a result which saw them finish just two points outside the coveted top-four places.
On the other hand, NEC Nijmegen enjoyed a ground-breaking league run in the 2025-26 campaign, as they finished third in the Eredivisie standings — their highest league finish in club history — to secure a spot in the Champions League qualifiers.
Nijmegen came close to securing a first-ever UCL appearance after knocking out Olympiacos 2-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round, but their quest came to an end in the final hurdle, as they were thrashed 6-1 on aggregate by Norwegian powerhouse Bodo/Glimt in August.
Dick Schreuder’s men journey to the Allianz Stadium fresh off the back of a humbling 3-0 defeat against Cambuur in the Eredivisie, where they sit 10th in the league standings with seven points from the opening six matches.
Heading into their highly-anticipated Europa League debut on Thursday, Nijmegen’s current form leaves a lot to be desired, with the Dutch outfit failing to win five of their last six matches across all competitions, including two defeats and one draw from their three games in September.
Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen form guide & betting tips
| Juventus | vs | NEC Nijmegen |
|---|---|---|
WWDL |
Form | LWLDL |
| 6 | Goals For | 6 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 12 |
Whispers predicts: Juventus 3-1 NEC Nijmegen
Following their defensive collapse in the defeat against Sassuolo at the weekend, Juventus will be keen to make an immediate reaction in the Europa League.
Juventus boast a superior and more experienced squad on paper, and given NEC Nijmegen’s form, we are backing the Italian giants to secure all three points, which currently sits at 11/50 (1.22).
NEC Nijmegen’s last seven games have seen at least three goals scored, and we pick over 2.5 goals at 11/25 (1.44), while with five of the visitors’ last seven games seeing both sides to score, Juventus to win + BTTS – Yes at 7/4 (2.75) is our value bet at the Allianz Stadium.
We predict over 9 corners, which is currently priced at 83/100 (1.83), while the correct score market has a correct score of 3-1 at 10/1 (11.00) as our outside bet.
> Over 2.5 goals – Yes at 11/25 (1.44) | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 9 corners – Yes at 83/100 (1.83) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 3-1 at 10/1 (11.00) | Likelihood: Outsider