Juventus have named a heavily rotated starting eleven for Thursday’s Europa League trip to Celta Vigo, with summer signing Nick Woltemade leading the attack at Balaídos and the home side leaving club icon Iago Aspas out of their confirmed lineup. The Matchday 2 fixture (15 October 2026) pits a Juve side fresh from a 4-0 demolition of NEC against a Celta team their coach, Luciano Spalletti, has warned are strong in both phases of the game.
Confirmed lineups at Balaídos
Celta Vigo’s coach Claudio Giráldez has selected: Radu; Rodriguez, Lago, Alonso; Rueda, Moriba, Febas, Carreira; Alvarez, Jutglà and Swedberg. The headline absence is Aspas, with Williot Swedberg and Jutglà instead leading the attack and Febas handed a midfield role.
Juventus line up as follows: Vicario; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; McKennie, Sarr, Koopmeiners, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Alajbegovic; Woltemade. Woltemade and Alajbegovic both start, exactly as Spalletti had hinted they might.
The visitors travel without Yildiz, Locatelli, Thuram, Boga, Ekhator and Grabara, a list that underlines just how much Spalletti intends to use this competition to spread the load.
Why Spalletti is rotating so aggressively
The Juventus coach was blunt about his reasoning when he faced the media on 14 October. “This competition allows us to give playing time to those who feature less regularly,” he said. “I need to let other lads rest and recharge their batteries, and it gives us the chance to watch other players and discover what is in the squad.”
He singled out two of the men now confirmed in the XI. “Players like Federico Gatti and Nick Woltemade, for example, deserve a chance based on what they’ve shown when given the opportunity,” Spalletti explained, adding that rotation is not optional given the schedule: “We need to give the others a breather, otherwise, it’ll be difficult to think we can go all the way.”
He also treated the Europa League with respect rather than as a secondary competition. “In the Europa League there are several high-calibre teams, clubs that could well have qualified for the Champions League,” he said, and his assessment of Thursday’s opponents was similarly measured. “Celta Vigo are capable of fielding a side with quality and experience, who are strong in both phases of the game. We cannot afford any moments during the match where we appear weaker.”
The self-criticism hanging over the trip
Juventus arrive in Galicia after a 1-1 draw with Cagliari in Serie A, and Spalletti’s pre-match remarks suggested the performance bothered him more than the result. “We’re still not aggressive enough when the match presents us with the chance to turn things around and swing the game in our favour,” he said. “It’s in those moments that most matches are decided, we’re not aggressive enough in those key moments.”
Francisco Conceicao, speaking alongside his coach, made a similar point from a winger’s perspective. “I think the details were what made the difference in that match, and that is something we have to improve,” he said. “But playing against teams that put 11 men behind the ball is also difficult.” His proposed fix is simple: sharper finishing. “If we develop our effectiveness in attack, then I think we will be better placed to win.”
Conceicao on the Salah comparison
One of the week’s stranger subplots has been Spalletti comparing Conceicao to Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward the Italian worked with during his time in charge of Roma. The 23-year-old Portugal international was asked about it when he spoke to Marca, and he batted the compliment away.
“I learn from many players, and Salah is a legend of football,” Conceicao said. “As for me, I am still young, and I try to learn from everyone in order to keep developing.”
His numbers this season — one goal and one assist in 438 minutes — explain why Juventus paid more than 32 million euros for him in the summer of 2025, and why the club still believes there is considerably more to come. “I feel very comfortable here, because I have the confidence of the coach, my team-mates and everyone at the club,” he said. “But I don’t feel the same satisfaction because the team is not getting wins, and that is true. Expectations are high at this club, and we have to improve the details in order to achieve our objectives.”
At the official pre-match press conference, he struck a similar note about his own development. “I try to improve every day. We know we’re at a great club with big ambitions, but I’m aware that I need to be the first to improve and take steps forward.”
A family score to settle in Vigo
There is a personal edge to this fixture that predates the younger Conceicao’s career entirely. His father, Sergio Conceicao — the man who handed Francisco his first senior appearance at Porto — was eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Celta Vigo in the first round of the 2006-07 season while playing for Standard Liege. The Belgians lost 1-0 at home, then 3-0 at Balaídos.
Twenty years on, the Conceicao name returns to the same stadium. Whether the son can succeed where the father failed is one of the quieter narratives worth watching on Thursday night.
What Juventus want from the competition
Asked what the Europa League means to Juventus, Conceicao was clear that the squad intend to go as far as they possibly can. His coach, meanwhile, framed the tournament as both a testing ground and a proving ground: a place to rest regulars, blood squad players and, in his words, “seek out and explore something new”.
“Those who stop learning end up repeating themselves and doing the same things over and over,” Spalletti said. “We want to seek out and explore something new.”
Conceicao, for his part, set the bar plainly. “Celta Vigo are a good side, they did well last year and, as always, we must aim to take all three points to keep our Europa League campaign on track.”
After the 4-0 win over NEC on Matchday 1, Juventus sit in a strong early position. A second win in Vigo would confirm that momentum. A stumble would hand Spalletti fresh evidence for his own argument that his side are not yet aggressive enough in the moments that decide matches.
The view from the home side
For Celta, the fixture carries real weight. The Spanish club’s supporters regard the visit of a European heavyweight like Juventus as a historic occasion, and Giráldez’s men will look to make Balaídos count. Spalletti’s warning that Celta are “strong in both phases of the game” suggests Juventus are taking the threat seriously, even with a rotated XI.
Whether Aspas’s absence from the confirmed lineup is tactical or fitness-related has not been confirmed in the available reporting, but his omission is the single biggest team-news story on the home side’s team sheet.
Quick match facts
- Competition: UEFA Europa League, Matchday 2
- Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026
- Venue: Balaídos, Vigo
- Juventus’ last European result: 4-0 win over NEC on Matchday 1
- Juventus’ last league result: 1-1 draw with Cagliari
- Key absences (Juve): Yildiz, Locatelli, Thuram, Boga, Ekhator, Grabara
- Key team news (Celta): No Aspas in the confirmed XI; Jutglà and Swedberg lead the line
FAQ
When and where is Celta Vigo vs Juventus?
The UEFA Europa League Matchday 2 fixture is played at Balaídos in Vigo on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
Who starts for Juventus against Celta Vigo?
The confirmed Juventus XI is: Vicario; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; McKennie, Sarr, Koopmeiners, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Alajbegovic; Woltemade. Yildiz, Locatelli, Thuram, Boga, Ekhator and Grabara are unavailable.
Is Iago Aspas playing against Juventus?
No. Aspas is not in Celta Vigo’s confirmed starting XI, with Jutglà and Williot Swedberg leading the attack instead.
Why did Spalletti compare Francisco Conceicao to Mohamed Salah?
Spalletti, who worked with Salah at Roma, drew the comparison, and Conceicao responded that Salah is “a legend of football” while stressing that he is still young and learning from everyone.
What is the family connection between Conceicao and Celta Vigo?
Francisco’s father, Sergio Conceicao, was eliminated from the UEFA Cup first round by Celta Vigo in 2006-07 while playing for Standard Liege, losing 1-0 at home and 3-0 at Balaídos.