EUROPA LEAGUE KNOCKOUT ROUND PLAY-OFFS PREVIEW The runners-up in the Europa League group stage have to face off with the third-placed Champions League teams before the line-up for Round of 16 is confirmed, with some big names involved, writes Dan Roberts…
‘THIS IS WHEN THE HEAT IS REALLY TURNED UP WITH EUROPE’S PREMIER CLUB COMPETITION’ round of 16 draws went. His Manchester City side were drawn against Villarreal originally, but will now face Sporting. That should see the English club through, although they have struggled in the past in the knockout rounds. The club’s wealthy owners are desperate to get their hands on the Champions League trophy after pumping so much money into the transfer kitty in recent years – and this round of 16 tie seems very winnable. In three of the four remaining ties Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Juventus will all feel fairly confident of progressing after being paired with Salzburg, Lille and Villarreal respectively. But none of those three will be pushovers for the bigger clubs. Lille might not have reached the heights of last season when they sensationally beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title,
TOP RIGHT: Pep Guardiola is one head coach that will be pleased with how both round of 16 draws went
There was no repeat of a botched draw for the Europa League back in December – and with some very big names involved in the second tier of European competition this season, there is a lot to look forward to here. The headline news was always going to be about Barcelona, but La Blaugrana being paired with Napoli makes this match up sound much more like a Champions League tie. New Barca boss Xavi Hernandez would have been hoping that picking up some silverware in Europe would turn this season into a relative success after months of chaos and farce at Camp Nou. Yet Napoli have looked very impressive in Serie A this season and will fancy their chances of going through, especially with the second leg scheduled to take place at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. There are blockbuster ties wherever you look in the Europa League Knockout Round play-offs. Porto vs. Lazio is another meeting that could have come straight out of the Champions League, whereas RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad pits together two clubs that have pushed themselves onto the main stage in recent seasons. Elsewhere, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund will be confident of making it through to the quarter-finals, having been drawn against Olympiacos and Rangers respectively. But nothing is guaranteed in the Europa League and everyone still involved will now feel as though there is a chance of going further in the competition. Even the minnows of the round will have their confidence boosted after being drawn together. Sheriff Tiraspol shocked everyone by beating Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage and now the Moldovan champions will look to progress here after being matched up with Braga. There are many football fans that believe that the Europa League always delivers and can be a more interesting watch than the supposedly more predictable Champions League. With the calibre of teams now taking part, the Knockout Round play-offs and Round of 16 could be some of the best games of the season.
ABOVE: Luis Suarez fights through Real Madrid defence during a La Liga match RIGHT Juventus look to improve from last year's result BOTTOM RIGHT: Napoli will take on Barcelona in the Europa League
SOCCER360 JANUARY • FEBRUARY 2022
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