Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin and Jacques Vendroux
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9:25 p.m., February 15, 2023
27 years later, FC Nantes finds Juventus in the European Cup. After having rubbed shoulders with the Italian club in 1996 in the semi-finals of the Champions League, the Canaries will again challenge the Old Lady in the round of 16 of the Europa League, Thursday evening at 9 p.m., a match to live live and in full in Europe 1 Sport (every evening from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.). For the current coach of FC Nantes, Antoine Kombouaré, “it’s a daydream”.
“I am lucky and every day when I wake up, I say to myself: ‘Thank you life, thank you to my grandparents because they are the ones who raised me'”, says the former Paris coach Saint-Germain at the microphone of Jacques Vendroux in Europe 1 Sport.
A “legendary” club
For this gala match, more than 2,000 Nantes residents will travel to Italy, symbolizing a particularly strong enthusiasm for this round of 16. “Juve is one of the biggest clubs in the world, it’s a legendary club and above all, we had our famous French people there like Michel Platini. When we think of Juve, we think of Michel Platini, Zinédine Zidane , to Didier Deschamps, not to mention players like Patrick Vieira who have been there, Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and also Paul Pogba. For the French, it’s a club that speaks”, justifies the native of New Caledonia.
The record of Juventus Turin impresses and today contributes to the reputation of the club throughout Europe. With two Champions Leagues to his credit (1985 and 1996), the Old Lady had a great time in European football. “Finding myself with FC Nantes to face this legendary club is exceptional,” enthuses Antoine Kombouaré. And even despite its current setbacks, marked by a recent sanction of 15 penalty points by the Italian Federation due to accounting fraud during player transfers between 2018 and 2021, Juventus remains formidable.
Make Nantes shine on the European scene
Nantes remain on a good dynamic and will have a card to play in Italy. The Canaries want to capitalize on their three victories in all competitions, including qualification for the Coupe de France. “I hope that with Nantes, we will be able to show that we know how to work well too”, declared Antoine Kombouaré in Europe 1 Sport. But the men of the Kanak coach will be deprived of Ignatius Ganago, recently bereaved by the tragic death of his granddaughter, as well as Andy Delort, victim of a sprained knee.
Despite these absences, FC Nantes hopes to shine and fully play its card against Juve. In 1996, the Canaries lost 2-0 in the first leg in Turin, before winning 3-2 in the second leg, not enough to win a ticket in the final. Let’s hope that the people of Nantes will experience a more favorable fate this time.