Juventus and Milan Face Tough Europa League Challenge

Italian football’s European weight now rests on just two sets of shoulders. In Montecarlo, Juventus and Milan – the last men standing from Serie A in the 2026-27 Europa League – discovered exactly how heavy that burden will be.

The draw handed both clubs a demanding, travel-heavy league phase. No soft landings. No time to ease into the competition.

Juventus: Tradition Meets Traps

Juventus arrive in Europe as a wounded giant. Sixth place in Serie A last season, Luciano Spalletti under pressure, and an expectation – almost a demand – to restore some of the club’s lost authority on the continental stage.

Their league phase line-up has a bit of everything: pedigree, awkward away days, and potential ambushes.

• They will host Real Sociedad, Rennes, Omonia, and NEC, while travelling to face AZ Alkmaar, Ferencváros, Celta Vigo, and Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Real Sociedad at home feels like the headline tie, a clash between two clubs who believe they belong at a higher table. Rennes bring high tempo and intensity, the kind of side that punishes any lapse in focus. AZ Alkmaar away is rarely kind to visitors, especially in the colder months, and Celta in Vigo can turn any European night into a street fight.

Then come the banana skins. Ferencváros in Budapest, Omonia in the heat of Cyprus, Hapoel Beer Sheva deep in Israel – fixtures that test concentration, rotation, and mentality more than reputation.

For Spalletti, who cut a dejected figure on the touchline in Frosinone on August 23, this isn’t just a route back into Europe’s spotlight. It’s a character exam. Juventus cannot simply lean on their name; they will need discipline, depth, and a far sharper domestic form carried onto the European stage.

Finish in the top eight of the league phase, and they go straight to the Round of 16. Slip into places 9 to 24, and it’s the tension of a knock-out play-off. Anything worse would be unthinkable in Turin.

Milan: Heavyweights and Landmines

If Juventus’ path looks tricky, Milan’s feels like a full European tour.

Rúben Amorim’s side, fifth in Serie A last season, will collide with a blend of continental royalty and stubborn outsiders. The Rossoneri will host Benfica, Ferencváros, Sunderland, and Ararat, and travel to Olympiacos, Salzburg, Bournemouth, and Levski Sofia.

Benfica at San Siro is the glamour night: two historic shirts, two clubs with European history woven into their identity. Sunderland at home offers a fascinating cultural clash, a traditional English club trying to rebuild its name on a big European stage.

Away, the schedule bites. Olympiacos in Piraeus is one of Europe’s loudest, most hostile environments. Salzburg’s high-energy game in Austria will stretch legs and minds. Bournemouth on the south coast of England may sound modest, but Premier League intensity in a compact stadium can quickly turn uncomfortable. Levski Sofia add one more long trip and one more stadium desperate for a scalp.

Amorim, animated and demanding on the touchline in Turin on August 23, now has a canvas that suits his ideas. A young, athletic Milan side, tested across climates, atmospheres, and styles. If his project is as serious as the club believes, this league phase will reveal it.

The New Europa Landscape

The Europa League’s league phase kicks off on September 16/17 and runs through to January 28, 2027. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, played out across winter breaks, fixture congestion, and domestic pressure.

The rules are simple, the margins anything but.

• Top eight: straight into the Round of 16.
• 9th to 24th: knock-out play-off, one more hurdle, one more risk.

The final awaits on May 26, 2027, in Frankfurt. One night, one trophy, and a chance to rewrite a season.

For Juventus and Milan, it’s bigger than that. With only two Serie A flags planted in this competition, every trip – from Vigo to Sofia, from Alkmaar to Piraeus – carries the weight of a league trying to reclaim its place in Europe.

The draw is done. The routes are clear. Now the question hangs over both giants: will this Europa League become a detour, or the road back to where they believe they belong?