Juventus and Rennes to Mend Local Disappointments

Both Italian side Juventus and their French guests Rennes are keen to quickly put behind them the disappointment of their recent domestic defeats as they meet today in Turin in the third round of the UEFA Europa League, aiming to maintain their perfect records. Juventus suffered a 3-0 home loss to Lazio in Serie League on Sunday, their second defeat in seven matches (three wins, two draws), increasing pressure on their coach Luciano Spalletti. The Bianconieri hope that returning to European competition will provide an outlet and an opportunity to reconcile with their fans after their struggles domestically, building on their comeback from behind to beat Spanish hosts Celta Vigo 2-1 in the second round last Thursday, keeping them among the ten teams that started the Europa League group stage with an ideal record.

German side Bayer Leverkusen, runners-up in the 2024 edition, look strong to secure a third consecutive victory when they travel to face Ove, a team making a comeback in German football, following their 2-0 win over Hoffenheim in the first round. A historic night looms for English club Bournemouth as they host the Italian giant Milan, seven-time Champions League winners, at Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth anticipate an unprecedented evening as the team begins to regain its balance. A third straight win is also the target for Benfica when they visit Cypriot champions Omonia, and for French side Lyon when they travel to face Hoffenheim. Meanwhile, English club Sunderland visit Polish side Lech Poznan, Turkish club Besiktas host English side Crystal Palace, Greek club Olympiacos receive Czech side Sparta Prague, and Hungarian side Ferencváros face Portuguese visitors Porto.