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hardynwa · 9 months ago

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Europa League last-16 draw: Liverpool to face Sparta Prague, Brighton play Roma

Liverpool will play Sparta Prague in the last 16 of the Europa League, while Brighton have been drawn against Roma. West Ham have been paired with Freiburg and Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers will face Benfica. In the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa - the last remaining British team in that competition - must overcome former European champions Ajax. The first legs of the ties will take place on 7 March, with the second legs to be played a week later on 14 March. The Europa League knockout round play-offs, in which the runners-up from the Europa League group stages faced teams who finished third in the Champions League group stages, concluded on Thursday. The eight group winners, seeded in Friday's draw, advanced straight to the last 16 and will each play at home in the second legs. That is also the case in the Europa Conference League where - like Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Rangers - Aston Villa will have the advantage of playing at home in the second leg next month. Europa League last-16 draw Sparta Prague v Liverpool Marseille v Villarreal Roma v Brighton Benfica v Rangers Freiburg v West Ham Sporting Lisbon v Atalanta AC Milan v Slavia Prague Qarabag v Bayer Leverkusen Premier League leaders Liverpool sealed their place in the last 16 with a game to spare in November, avoiding February's play-off round by topping their group. The Reds, who have won the competition three times and finished runners-up in 2016, are still contesting four trophies this season and face Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday. Liverpool won their only previous meeting with Sparta Prague in the last 32 of the 2010-11 Europa League, progressing 1-0 on aggregate after Dirk Kuyt scored late in the second leg. West Ham, who also qualified in the penultimate round of group fixtures, were crowned Europa Conference League winners last season after reaching the Europa League semi-finals in 2022. They have already beaten German club Freiburg twice in this season's competition, winning 2-0 at home and 2-1 away against their Group A opponents. Brighton, playing European football for the first time in the club's history, beat Marseille in their final group game to progress as group winners. Roberto de Zerbi's side will take on last season's runners-up Roma, who are sixth in Serie A and overcame Feyenoord in a penalty shootout on Thursday. Aston Villa, back in Europe for the first time since the 2010-11 season, progressed in the Europa Conference League as group winners with 13 points from six games. Europa Conference League last-16 draw Servette v Viktoria Plzen Ajax v Aston Villa Molde v Club Brugge Union SG v Fenerbahce Dinamo Zagreb v PAOK Sturm Graz v Lille Maccabi Haifa v Fiorentina Olympiacos v Maccabi Tel-Aviv Read the full article

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soccerlegendsme · 4 years ago

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Champions League 2020-21: Who will be kings of Europe? Our experts' predictions

Fifty eight days after Bayern Munich lifted the trophy in Lisbon, the Champions League is back.

Last season's disrupted competition ended with an unlikely final four of Bayern, Paris St-Germain, Lyon and RB Leipzig.

So who will triumph this time? And who will be the surprise packages? We asked our European football writers to make their predictions.

Champions League groups in full

Everything you need to know about this season's Champions League

Can you name every team in this season's Champions League?

If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.

Andy West, Spanish football writer

What are the prospects for the Spanish sides?

Real Madrid are, of course, always dangerous in this competition and will have added motivation after failing badly in the past couple of years with consecutive last-16 exits.

Barcelona have started the season brightly but realistically the squad is too shallow and blighted by too many flaws for them to be considered among the favourites.

Atletico Madrid, though, could go a long way: they will be strong at the back as always, and if the new strike pairing of Luis Suarez and Joao Felix fulfils its potential they'll be hard to stop.

And Sevilla? Underestimate them at your peril.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Right now it's hard to look past Bayern Munich, considering how superior they were to every other team at the end of last season.

But winning the competition two years in a row is notoriously difficult, and I have a feeling we'll see a very strong challenge from the team who historically like to believe they own this competition: Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane can call upon genuine world-class quality throughout the squad and has plenty of match-winning options in attack, especially if Eden Hazard can get fit, stay fit and start to show his true ability. So I'll take Real Madrid.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Sevilla have made the Europa League their own, winning it four times since 2014. And under the leadership of canny coach Julen Lopetegui, they look ready to step up to the Champions League. The Andalusians don't have the quality in attack to be potential winners, but they could go deep into the knockout stages.

Constantin Eckner, German football writer

What are the prospects for the German sides?

Bayern Munich addressed the issues regarding their squad late in the transfer window and remain among the strongest teams in Europe. They are capable of defending the title, but it is more likely we will see a slight drop in performance this season.

Borussia Dortmund should win their group and reach at least the quarter-finals if they manage to keep the defence healthy.

RB Leipzig could battle Manchester United for second spot in Group H. Even without Timo Werner, last season's semi-finalists are tough to beat thanks to Julian Nagelsmann's analytical mind and a squad full of highly athletic players.

Borussia Monchengladbach should see their participation in this year's competition as a chance to learn and grow.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

I don't see a clear-cut favourite this year, as the two previous winners have to deal with some issues that might hinder them from winning it again.

So my money is on Real Madrid. They are the total package with a mix of veteran players and rising stars, and an experienced coach on the sidelines.

Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard and Vinícius Júnior represent the new generation, while Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos have enough left in the tank to get one more Champions League trophy.

Zidane might not be the tactical genius that some of his peers are, but he knows how to manage a tight schedule and guide a team through the obstacles of a knockout stage.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Borussia Dortmund have the raw talent to be the dark horse in this year's Champions League. They are able to beat any team in the world on a good day and will only get better, as most of their key players are fairly young.

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's chief football writer

What are the prospects for the English sides?

Liverpool, with their past record of success, are England's best prospect to win the Champions League. Manchester City have the talent but there is something about this competition that always seems to trip them up. Is it lack of belief? Is it Pep Guardiola's tactical mistakes?

I can see Chelsea making it out of a group that is relatively kind but in their current form and condition I do not see Manchester United getting anywhere near the knockout stage when faced with the likes of PSG and RB Leipzig. Things can change in that time for United, but they would have to change a lot.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

At this stage I would say my two favourites would be Liverpool and the holders Bayern Munich.

Liverpool still look so strong, although they did not get past the last 16 last season when they went out to Atletico Madrid, but now of course they have Thiago Alcantara, such a key figure in Bayern's triumphs.

The usual suspects such as PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid will be involved but I will go for a straight fight between Liverpool and Bayern - with Liverpool my tip.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Hard to see anyone coming out of the traditional pack but Atletico Madrid, under the inspirational leadership of Diego Simeone, are always a threat, as Liverpool found to their cost last season.

Atletico have had so many near misses with the Champions League but they have added to their squad with Luis Suarez and no-one will want to draw them.

The other possibility? Sevilla - they showed once again what European specialists they are by winning the Europa League.

Ian Holyman, Ligue 1 podcast producer

What are the prospects for the French sides?

It's hardly sticking my neck out to suggest PSG will challenge strongly again.

Yes, they've lost Thiago Silva, but with Marquinhos replacing him in central defence and as captain, and Danilo Pereira's arrival in midfield, Thomas Tuchel's men are stronger and better balanced.

Andre Villas-Boas worked a miracle to get Marseille back into the competition for the first time since 2013-14, but even with Florian Thauvin fit again, the squad looks thin - a helpful draw might see them sneak into the knockout stages though.

Group-stage debutants Rennes will surely struggle with the step up in class, and grabbing third place would be a success.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Can you look beyond Bayern Munich? The Champions League is a notoriously fiendish title to defend, but the 2019-20 winners' success in Lisbon in the summer will motivate, not sate, them. They have not stood still since either: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (don't laugh!) is great back-up to Robert Lewandowski, and though Thiago has left, Bayern already had an upgrade in Joshua Kimmich.

Their veterans, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, enjoyed one of their best seasons last term, and young talents such as Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane will only keep improving.

Hansi Flick's men will again be the team to beat.

Which team could be the surprise package?

They've been drawn in the toughest section of all, but Istanbul Basaksehir will be no meek victims of Group H. The Turkish champions - that already says something about their quality - have former Manchester United defender Rafael and ex-Liverpool man Martin Skrtel at the back, while ex-West Ham United, Newcastle United and Chelsea forward Demba Ba is up front.

Daniele Verri, Italian football journalist

What are the prospects for the Italian sides?

It is difficult to imagine an Italian club winning the Champions League.

You can't rule out a team fielding Cristiano Ronaldo but Juventus have a young manager in Andrea Pirlo, are in the process of rejuvenating their squad and lack quality in midfield. Their quest to end a 24-year wait will continue.

Inter proved their worth as they reached the final of last season's Europa League and have since signed Achraf Hakimi and Arturo Vidal. Their focus will be on the league title though, something Antonio Conte sees as a necessary step to form a winning mentality.

Lazio do not have the depth to fight on the domestic and European stage and will struggle to keep up on both.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Not even the Oracle of Delphi can predict in October who is to win the Champions League in May! Form, injuries and Covid-19 will all play a role. Will there be another lockdown? Who is going to be the fittest when it really comes to it?

In my opinion, the eventual winner will come from England. Spanish clubs haven't invested enough, a second win for Bayern seems unrealistic and Italian clubs lack that extra bit of quality.

Liverpool and Manchester City, as long as Sergio Aguero recovers and Ruben Dias proves capable of filling Vincent Kompany's boots, are my favourites, with PSG their main danger.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Atalanta already reached the quarter-finals in their maiden Champions League campaign and could do even better.

The Nerazzurri have gathered European experience in the past few years and this will be Gian Piero Gasperini's fifth season in Bergamo. His team play with heart and are a joy to watch. If Josip Ilicic reaches top form they will be a threat to anyone.

‘SOCCERLEGENDS NEWSDESK’

#news #soccer #uefa #predictiction #victory

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rashidjustin · 3 years ago

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Manchester City Fixtures | Sky Sports

Manchester city european fixtures - Manchester City News and Scores - ESPN

Leeds is the worst opponent we can play between the Champions League. Although Leeds may be aiming for European qualification in the coming years, they are not there yet, having only recently been promoted to the Premier League.

That is because, after the two-week international break, Leeds face a daunting run of fixtures, with champions-elect Manchester City, defending champions Liverpool and unbeaten-on-the-road Manchester United on the fixture schedule in succession.

Thankfully, manchester city european fixtures task could be made slightly more palatable by the fact that while Leeds only have the Premier League to worry about, Man City, Liverpool and Man United are all fighting on other fronts. English FA Cup. English Carabao Cup. De Bruyne: Man City feels like home Are Manchester City in danger of falling short again? Haaland reacts to walking out Man City tunnel for special info time Laurens: Dortmund could be a 'walk in the park' for Man City De Bruyne shines for Man City: 'No one should be this good!

Guardiola manchester city european fixtures out signing Haaland in the summer Players 'need to be clearer' with why they're taking a knee Goals Assists. Raheem SterlingF 9 Matches 26 Assists 6. Borussia Dortmund. Leeds United.

Aston Villa. Tottenham Hotspur. Steffen 26 years old 1 0. Ederson Moraes 27 years manchester city european fixtures 30 0. Carson 35 years old 0 0. Trafford 18 years old 0 0.

Walker 30 years old 21 1. Stones manchester city european fixtures years old 18 4.

Manchester City Scores & Fixtures

Laporte 26 years old 13 0. Mendy 26 years old 9 2. Mbete-Tabu 17 years old 0 0. Zinchenko 24 years old 14 0. City held on, preserving their 3—2 lead to manchester city european fixtures the tie. A flurry of late goals gave Manchester City a 4—0 lead after the first leg. In the third round City faced four-time European trophy winners A.

The first leg, held at the San Sirowas initially postponed due to fog, and was instead played the following day. Manchester City's fortunes declined during the s and s. For a single season, —99, the club fell as far as English football's third tier.

The club did not qualify for European competition in this period. In ordinary circumstances, the club's fifth-placed finish in and would have granted a UEFA Cup place. However, English clubs had recently returned from a ban issued after the Heysel Stadium disaster. As the UEFA coefficient that determines the number of places per country is based upon performances see page European competition over the previous five years, England had a reduced allocation until By the —03 season, Manchester City were back in the Premier League.

An unusual route into European competition for the —04 season was provided by the UEFA Respect Fair Play rankingwhich allocated extra UEFA Cup qualifying round places for the leagues with the best records for discipline and positive play. The first leg was the first-ever competitive match at Manchester City's new ground, the City of Manchester Stadium. Trevor Sinclair became the first ever goalscorer at the stadium in a 5—0 win. Against Sporting Lokeren in the first round proper, City manchester city european fixtures the home leg 3—2, and the away leg 1—0.

Both legs were drawn, [50] and just as inCity were eliminated on away goals after a 0—0 draw in Poland. As City had to play the qualifying rounds, it meant a very early start manchester city european fixtures the season, in mid-July. The pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium had been relaid following a Bon Jovi concert, and was not ready in time.

Instead, the match was played at Barnsley 's Oakwell ground. The first leg ended in a 1—0 defeat, only City's second ever home defeat in European competition. The tie then went to extra time, and City progressed on penalties. A five team group stage then followed, in which each team played the others once. City topped the group, after wins against Twente and Schalke, a draw with Paris Saint-Germain and a defeat in a dead rubber in Santander.

Copenhagen in freezing conditions. City took the lead twice but could only draw 2—2. Another Danish club, Aalborgawaited in the next round. Both matches finished 2—0 to the home side, and the tie was decided by a penalty shootout, which Manchester City won. The away leg was played first, and started exceptionally well for Manchester City, manchester city european fixtures Stephen Ireland scored after just 35 seconds.

However, Hamburg soon equalised, and won the match manchester city european fixtures. City scored twice, the first by Elanowho also hit manchester city european fixtures woodwork on two occasions with free-kicks.

However, City could not produce the third goal that would have taken the tie into extra time. By finishing fifth in the —10 Premier LeagueHis response City qualified for this competition. Each team played the others twice. City's opener was in Salzburg, and resulted in a 2—0 win.

City lost 2—0 in Kyiv, and had to play most of the second leg with ten men after Mario Balotelli was sent off. A 1—0 win was insufficient to overcome the deficit, as City lost 2—1 on aggregate.

The club's league finish granted direct entry into the group stages without qualification. Their group stage opponents were Bayern MunichVillarreal and Napoli. City's first group match was at home to Napoli. The Italians took the lead in the second half following a counter-attacking move, but five minutes later Aleksandar Kolarov scored from a free-kick to manchester city european fixtures, and the match finished 1—1. As a third placed team the club then entered the Europa League in the round of 32, where they faced Europa League holders Porto.

Manchester City won both legs. City lost the first leg 0—1 in Lisbon and were trailing 0—2 early in the home game. The team mounted a great comeback, scoring three goals, but it was not enough, as they were eliminated on manchester city european fixtures goals rule.

Manchester City qualified for the —13 UEFA Champions League as league champions and hope were high for the team to perform successfully. Cityzens failed to win even a single watch, losing three and drawing three and failed to progress even to the Europa League knock-out stage, finishing last in their group. However, City's performance in the Round of 16 was a disappointment, as they dropped both games to Barcelona with an aggregate score of 1—4.

The team's next Champions League campaign was similar to the manchester city european fixtures one, as Manchester City were again drawn with Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow at the group stage and after qualifying for the playoffs as the second best team, Cityzens once again had to face Barcelona. The final result saw a manchester city european fixtures improvement, as Man City again lost both games but this time with an aggregate score of 1—3.

Real Madrid went on to win the tournament. Cityzens eliminated Dynamo Kyiv and Paris on their way manchester city european fixtures the semifinals. In the first season under the reign Continue reading Guardiolahopes were high for Manchester City as they progressed to the knockout phase after finishing second in the group that featured Guardiola's former team, Barcelona. In the Round of 16 Read Full Report were drawn against Monaco.

Manchester city european fixtures Blues were trailing 1—2 and 2—3 in manchester city european fixtures home match before scoring three unanswered goals and winning 5—3. The team confidently won five games manchester city european fixtures the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage, where they defeated Basel 5—2 on aggregate.

The Manchester city european fixtures were drawn with fellow Premier League side Liverpool in the quarter-finals.

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

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Europa League draw: Man Utd v Club Bruges, Arsenal v Olympiakos, Wolves v Espanyol

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/europa-league-draw-man-utd-v-club-bruges-arsenal-v-olympiakos-wolves-v-espanyol/

Europa League draw: Man Utd v Club Bruges, Arsenal v Olympiakos, Wolves v Espanyol

Manchester United beat Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final

Manchester United, Europa League winners in 2017, have been drawn to face Belgian side Club Bruges in the last 32 of this season’s competition.

Arsenal will play Greek club Olympiakos while Wolverhampton Wanderers will face La Liga side Espanyol.

Celtic play Copenhagen while fellow Scottish Premiership side Rangers come up against Portuguese club Braga.

The first legs will take place on Thursday, 20 February with the return matches a week later on 27 February.

More on Celtic & Rangers’ Europa League draws

This season’s final takes place on 27 May in Gdansk, Poland, which hosted four games at Euro 2012.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are outside the Premier League top four and face a Bruges side that are top of their league having lost just once this season and conceded only seven goals in 18 games.

Arsenal may have a new permanent manager in place by the time they come up against Olympiakos, who dropped out of the Champions League after finishing third behind Bayern Munich and Tottenham.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves host Espanyol at Molineux in the first leg before he takes his side to face the struggling Spanish side, who are bottom of their domestic league.

Last-32 Europa League draw in full:

Wolvesv Espanyol

Sporting Lisbon v Istanbul Basaksehir

Getafe v Ajax

Bayer Leverkusen v Porto

Copenhagen vCeltic

APOEL v Basel

Cluj v Sevilla

Olympiakos vArsenal

AZ Alkmaar v LASK

Club Bruges vManchester United

Ludogorets Razgrad v Inter Milan

Eintracht Frankfurt v Red Bull Salzburg

Shakhtar Donetsk v Benfica

Wolfsburg v Malmo

Roma v Ghent

Rangersv Braga

Europa League calendar

20 February:Last-32 first legs

27 February:Last-32 second legs

28 February:Last-16 draw

12 March:Last-16 first legs

19 March:Last-16 second legs

20 March:Quarter-finals and semi-finals draw

9 April:Quarter-finals first legs

16 April:Quarter-finals second legs

30 April:Semi-finals first legs

7 May:Semi-finals second legs

27 May:Final

#Espanyol #Wolves

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mopgist · 5 years ago

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Europa League last 16 has been drawn

Manchester United will Travel to Austria for a Europa League last 16 clash with LASK.

United new signing Bruno Fernandes has already scored against Valerien Ismael’s team this season – albeit for Sporting Lisbon.

The Bundesliga side defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-1 on aggregate in the last round. Manchester united meanwhile, battered Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate.

Rangers will lock horns with German giants…

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torentialtribute · 5 years ago

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Man Utd’s Europa League group stage verdict: Solskjaer’s side handed easy draw

Judgment of the Europa League group stage of Man United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will lick his lips after having received an easy draw, despite a long trip to Kazakhstan and a hostile atmosphere in Belgrade waiting for them

Manchester United expected through the Europa League group stage ]

] But one drawback to their draw is the amount of trips they have to make

Against Jordan Seward For Mailonline

Published: 13:46 BST, August 30, 2019 | Updated: 13:55 BST, August 30, 2019

Manchester United Will thank their lucky stars after they are been handed a linear Europa League group.

Although they have to travel around 10,000 miles while the men of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were set up against Astana, Partizan, AZ Alkmaar in Group L.

United should easily pass through this group but can curse some of those long journeys. Here, Sportsmail judge how the draw went for them.

Manchester United was drawn in group L of the 2019-2020 Europe League group phase

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be happy with the draw despite several long journeys to contend with

GROUP L OPPONENTS

Astana

The champions of Kazakhstan were on and from the weakest sides in pot 2, so United will be happy to be pulled out by Paulo Ferreira on Friday.

However, Astana enters the competition with a full match-fit team because they are already 23 games in their domestic season. United could also have done it without having to do the 6,000-mile midweek to Kazakhstan.

Star man

Marin Tomasov

The winger has already beaten in seven goals in six qualifying matches.

European family tree

Qualified for the Champions League 2015-16 season but ended up at the bottom of the group. Their best performance in Europe is reaching the first knockout rounds of the Europa League in 2017-18 before being defeated by Sporting Lisbon.

Danger class

They will improve their chances of being second best for Untied.

Distance

2985 miles

Astana & # 39; s leader Marin Tomasov has already scored seven goals in six qualifiers

] United is not looking forward to the 2985-mile journey to Kazakhstan to defy Astana

PARTIZAN

Partizan will not pose too much of a threat to United, although Solskja men will certainly not look forward to the away match. The Serbs are known to create one of the most intimidating atmospheres in world football and it is up to United to deal with it.

They beat Solskjaer & # 39; s former side in the qualifying round, so the Norwegian would like to avenge that by taking six points from them in the groups.

Star man

Zoran Tosic

The winger used to play for the Untied, but never made the cut and wants to make a statement against his former side .

European family tree

They were runners to Real Madrid in the UEFA Cup of 1965-66, but have rarely ventured out of the groups lately.

Hazard Valuation

How they do it at home is the key to their chances, although they look slim on paper.

Distance

1181 miles

]

Partizan sealed their place in the Europa League after eliminating Solskjaer & # 39; s old club Molde

AZ Alkmaar

De The Dutch side was one of the strongest in pot 4 and as United will be satisfied with how Friday's draw went.

AZ is a decent side and can gain some confidence from the fact that United has lost its last visits to the Netherlands – against PSV and Feyernoord.

Star man

Calvin Stengs

The 20-year-old attacker has scored three goals in six qualification matches of the European League and is already attracting a lot of attention.

European family tree

AZ has no rich history in European competitions and only made two games in the Champions League and 14 in the Europa League.

Hazard assessment

The Dutch side has a good mix of old heads and young starters and must qualify as second.

Distance

453 miles

Manchester United will travel 9,238 miles

Calvin Stengs is the star of AZ Alkmaar and will thwart Manchester United

Where does United end up in their group?

This group gives Solskjaer the opportunity to bleed some youngsters while still comfortably booking their place in the knockout rounds. They should run this group and really watch to get maximum points, or else the six matches will succeed unbeaten.

VERDICT: 1st

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ultrasfcb-blog · 6 years ago

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Europa League: Arsenal drawn against Sporting while Chelsea meet PAOK Salonika

The Europa League final will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 29 May

Arsenal will play Sporting Lisbon in the group stage of the Europa League.

Unai Emery’s side have been drawn in Group E of this season’s competition with the Portuguese club, Qarabag of Azerbaijan and Ukrainian side Vorskla.

Chelsea, who won the competition in 2012-13, are in Group L with Greek side PAOK Salonika, BATE Borisov of Belarus and Hungarian outfit Vidi.

Celtic meet Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Rosenborg while Rangers face Rapid Vienna, Villarreal and Spartak Moscow.

The final of this season’s Europa League takes place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on 29 May.

Spanish clubs have won the competition for five of the last seven seasons and Sevilla – who triumphed under Emery in 2014, 2015 and 2016 – have been drawn to face Russian side Krasnodar, Standard Liege of Belgium and Turkey’s Akhisar.

Dudelange, the first club from Luxembourg to reach the group stage of the competition, were handed a trip to the San Siro to play AC Milan.

Arsenal test and added travel

Arsenal will face about 10,000 miles of flying for their three away fixtures, including a lengthy flight of more than 2,400 miles to Baku, where Qarabag play.

The Gunners will take on a Sporting side decimated by players cancelling their contracts this summer following an attack by fans at the training ground last term.

But they have started this season with two league wins and a draw to sit third in the Portuguese top tier, with former Manchester United winger Nani finding the net three times.

Vorskla, winners of the Ukrainian title in 2017-18, have only reached this stage of the Europa League once before but finished bottom of their group in the 2011-12 campaign.

Qarabag have been managed by Gurban Gurbanov – who is now also in charge of the Azerbaijan national team – for a decade. They competed in the Champions League last season but have lost their four European matches against English opposition by an aggregate score of 14-1.

Did you know? Arsenal have lost four of their last five European games in Ukraine, drawing the other.

Hungary for Blues but which ground?

Chelsea have less travelling than their London rivals with about 6,800 miles to cover for Thursday fixtures on the road.

Vidi, who changed their name from Videoton this summer, have not featured in the group stage since 2012-13, when they produced home wins over Sporting Lisbon and Basel at their home stadium, which is under reconstruction and has faced recent delays.

They played at the home of Ferencvaros for their recent Champions League play-off with AEK Athens, which they lost to drop into the Europa League.

PAOK Salonika, who finished second in the Greek top tier last season, also dropped out of the Champions League having lost their play-off against Benfica.

BATE Borisov lost 4-2 and 6-0 to Arsenal in last season’s Europa League to eventually finish bottom of their group.

Did you know? Teams from Hungary have failed to win any of their last 18 European visits to England, drawing two and losing 16. They have scored just four goals on English soil and conceded 40.

Europa League draw in full

Group A: Bayer Leverkusen (Ger), Ludogorets Razgrad (Bul), FC Zurich (Swi), AEK Larnaca (Cyp)

Group B: Salzburg (Aut), CELTIC, RB Leipzig (Ger), Rosenborg (Nor)

Group C: Zenit St Petersburg (Rus), FC Copenhagen (Den), Bordeaux (Fra), Slavia Prague (Cze)

Group D: Anderlecht (Bel), Fenerbahce (Tur), Dinamo Zagreb (Cro), Spartak Trnava (Svk)

Group E: ARSENAL, Sporting Lisbon (Por), Qarabag (Aze), Vorskla Poltava (Ukr)

Group F: Olympiakos (Gre), AC Milan (Ita), Real Betis (Spa), Dudelange (Lux)

Group G: Villarreal (Spa), Rapid Vienna (Aut), Spartak Moscow (Rus), RANGERS

Group H: Lazio (Ita), Marseille (Fra), Eintracht Frankfurt (Ger), Apollon Limassol (Cyp)

Group I: Besiktas (Tur), KRC Genk (Bel), Malmo (Swe), Sarpsborg (Nor)

Group J: Sevilla (Spa), Krasnodar (Rus), Standard Liege (Bel), Akhisar Belediyespor (Tur)

Group K: Dynamo Kiev (Ukr), Astana (Kaz), Rennes (Fra), Jablonec (Cze)

Group L: CHELSEA, PAOK Saloniki (Gre), BATE Borisov (Blr), Vidi (Hun)

BBC Sport – Football ultras_FC_Barcelona

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hardynwa · 9 months ago

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Europa League last-16 draw: Liverpool to face Sparta Prague, Brighton play Roma

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365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

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Champions League semi-finals - what could face Liverpool after Friday's draw?

Liverpool will discover their Champions League semi-final opponents when the draw is made on Friday from 11:00 BST.

The Reds, who defeated Manchester City in the last eight, will face either Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Roma.

The Europa League semi-final draw will also be made in Nyon, Switzerland.

Should Arsenal progress on Thursday – they lead CSKA Moscow 4-1 from the first leg – they will face Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Marseille, RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg or Sporting Lisbon.

Liverpool

Route to the last four Group stage Top of Group E ahead of Sevilla, Spartak Moscow and Maribor Last 16 Beat Porto 5-0 on aggregate Quarter-finals Beat Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate

Jurgen Klopp’s side racked up 23 goals on their way to topping Group E, before smashing five past Porto in Portugal at the last-16 stage.

Their emphatic 5-1 aggregate victory over Premier League rivals Manchester City in the quarter-finals means the Reds have now scored 33 goals in the Champions League this season – the most by an English side in a single campaign.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have contributed 23 of those goals and the pace, movement and clinical finishing of that attacking trio is likely to concern any prospective opponents.

Egypt forward Salah, who is the Premier League’s top scorer with 29, has directly influenced 50 goals in all competitions this season.

Liverpool also find themselves on a firmer footing defensively, particularly since the £75m signing of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January.

The Reds have kept seven clean sheets in the 14 games the Netherlands central defender has played in and they prevented City – the highest-scoring side in the Premier League – from having a shot on target during their 3-0 first-leg win at Anfield.

They lost to Sevilla in the 2016 Europa League final at the end of Klopp’s first season in charge – but this is their first semi-final in Europe’s premier competition for a decade.

A sixth European crown would leave only Real Madrid, who have lifted the trophy 12 times, and seven-time winners AC Milan ahead of them in the all-time records.

Why Liverpool will not fear anyone – Chris Waddle

Listen to the latest Euro Leagues Football Show podcast

Bayern Munich

Route to the last four Group stage Second in Group B behind PSG and ahead of Celtic and Anderlecht Last 16 Beat Besiktas 8-1 on aggregate Quarter-finals Beat Sevilla 2-1 on aggregate

European football expert Andy Brassell:

Bayern are a really, really good side who have been totally rejuvenated since Jupp Heynckes replaced Carlo Ancelotti at the start of October. The difference between the team under the two men is extraordinary – it is night and day.

He has not done anything revolutionary but before he took back over they did not have an identity or a spirit and that has all totally changed. Bayern look formidable again.

There are similarities with when Bayern last won the Champions League in 2012-13 under Heynckes. He does not shy away from friction, he embraces confrontation and uses it to get the best out of his players.

He is getting the best out of winger Franck Ribery and Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng have played superbly together a lot in defence this season because he has moved Javi Martinez back into midfield.

Colombia international James Rodriguez – who was Ancelotti’s guy – has become more and more important under Heynckes, who has unlocked another part of his game and played him in a deep midfield position.

The fact that Bayern are geared to attack all the time should give Liverpool some counter-attack opportunities – which they are clearly particularly good at – if they are drawn together.

But although Jupp is an attacking coach he is not reckless. Away at Sevilla in the first leg, he brought in an extra defensive midfielder and dropped James to the bench. There is a circumspect side to him as well, and I imagine he will pay Liverpool that level of respect, especially at Anfield if they play each other.

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Real Madrid

Route to the last four Group stage Second in Group H behind Tottenham and ahead of Borussia Dortmund and Apoel Nicosia Last 16 Beat PSG 5-2 on aggregate Quarter-finals Beat Juventus 4-3 on aggregate

Spanish football writer Andy West:

Real Madrid’s calamitous second-leg performance against Juventus made it clear Zinedine Zidane’s team is highly vulnerable – but really we knew that already.

This, after all, is a team fourth in La Liga, having dropped points against lesser lights including Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Girona and Levante during an extraordinarily inconsistent campaign.

You never know what you’re going to get from Real’s rich resources – and the main problem is that neither does Zidane.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only forward guaranteed to start. Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Isco and Lucas Vazquez all battle for the remaining two or three places depending on which formation Zidane chooses to employ – another unknown – but none of them have presented a consistently convincing case.

That uncertainty spreads to the defence. There is a settled look in terms of personnel but they are often woefully unprotected by a flimsy midfield – as shown by Juve’s three goals at the Bernabeu on Wednesday and Barcelona’s shockingly straightforward 3-0 Clasico win in Madrid in December.

However, there is no doubting the huge amount of talent within the squad, and they also possess a fierce fighting spirit – especially in the Champions League, which Real very much regard as their competition.

And, of course, there is Ronaldo, who is in the best goalscoring form of his life after netting in 11 consecutive games.

So Real can never be written off – but they are certainly not unbeatable.

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Roma

Route to the last four Group stage Top of Group C ahead of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Qarabag Last 16 Beat Shakhtar Donetsk on away goals after 2-2 aggregate draw Quarter-finals Beat Barcelona on away goals after 4-4 aggregate draw

New York Times chief soccer correspondent Rory Smith:

Roma are forward thinking, modern and intelligent. They have an American owner, James Pellota, who has tried to revamp the way they do a lot of things, both on and off the pitch.

Their social media is really good – which sounds like a stupid gauge, but it is actually quite a good barometer. It doesn’t translate to what happens on the pitch but it is a sign of a club trying to do things in a modern way, which in Italy is not always the case.

Director of football Monchi, who in a world of fake gurus is the closest thing to an actual guru and for 15 years oversaw transfer policy at Sevilla and unearthed these great gems by working out how to scout certain markets effectively, left Spain last summer and came to Roma. He has started to do the same in Italy.

The great success he has had this season is Cengiz Under, who was a winger in Turkey not on the radar of most European clubs but has turned up and been a revelation.

They have an interesting mix of veterans – such as full-back Aleksandar Kolarov and striker Edin Dzeko – and youngsters like Lorenzo Pellegrini in midfield. They are not as strong as Real Madrid or Bayern in theory – but they are a clever team.

Radja Nainggolan, Kevin Strootman and Daniele de Rossi is a high calibre, grade A midfield that not many teams will fancy facing.

Roma send Barcelona out of Champions League: ‘Debacle’, ‘ridicule’, ‘fall of an empire’

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BBC Sport – Football

Champions League semi-finals – what could face Liverpool after Friday's draw? was originally published on 365 Football

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wionews · 7 years ago

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Champions League: Barca end Sporting's hopes with 2-0 win

Barcelona scored twice in the second half to beat Sporting Lisbon 2-0 at home on Tuesday, rounding off their unbeaten group stage campaign with a fourth win, while knocking the Portuguese side out of the competition.

With Lionel Messi left on the bench, Paco Alcacer gave Barca the lead in the 59th minute with a glancing header from a corner while former Barca defender Jeremy Mathieu clumsily slid Aleix Vidal`s low cross into his own net in stoppage time.

Barca had already secured their place in the last 16 of the competition as Group D winners before the game, while Sporting needed to win and for Juventus not to beat Olympiakos in order to reach the knockouts for the first time in nine seasons.

Their hopes were quickly dashed when Juan Cuadrado put Juventus ahead in the 15th minute in Athens and Federico Bernardeschi made it 2-0 in the 90th to ensure Sporting dropped into the Europa League whatever happened at the Nou Camp.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde made eight changes to the team that had drawn 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday, including picking Thomas Vermaelen in place of injured Samuel Umtiti and starting without Messi for the second European game in a row.

Messi came on moments after Alcacer had broken the deadlock and the Argentine instantly lifted Barca`s tempo. He went close to doubling their lead three times in quick succession, twice missing the target and forcing a save from visiting goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

At the other end Barca`s reserve goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen made an outstanding save to thwart his Dutch international team mate Bas Dost.

Sporting defender Mathieu left Barca after an inconsistent yet trophy-filled three-year spell at Barca but had the home fans chanting his name ironically after he unwittingly knocked in the second goal to seal the victory.

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365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

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English clubs await European quarter-final draws

Liverpool and Manchester City will discover their Champions League quarter-final opponents on Friday, when the draw is made in Nyon, Switzerland.

The two clubs are England’s remaining representatives after Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham were eliminated at the last-16 stage.

They could face each other or be drawn against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Roma, Sevilla, Bayern Munich or Juventus.

Arsenal will also find out their Europa League last-eight opponents.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Italy, the Gunners came from behind at the Emirates to beat Milan 3-1 and seal their progress.

The Champions League draw takes place at 11:00 GMT, with the Europa League draw an hour later.

The ties will played on 3&4 and 10&11 April.

Teams in the draws Champions League Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Liverpool, Man City, Real Madrid, Roma, Sevilla Europa League Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Lazio, Marseille, RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg, Sporting Lisbon, Viktoria Plzen,

Listen to the latest Euro Leagues Football Show podcast[1]

The going gets tough

Manchester City and Liverpool made light work of their last-16 ties, easily beating Basel and Porto respectively.

All the damage was done in the first legs, with City winning 4-0 and Liverpool 5-0 making the return legs at home a formality.

City are currently 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League and appear certain to secure the title in the next few games, having already won the League Cup.

Liverpool are fourth in the table and are the only team to have beaten City in the league this season, winning 4-3 at Anfield in January.

Man City’s last meeting with CL rivals Team Competition Season Home Away Barcelona Champions League group stage 2016-17 Won 3-1 Lost 4-0 Bayern Munich Champions League group stage 2014-15 Won 3-2 Lost 1-0 Juventus Champions League group stage 2015-16 Lost 2-1 Lost 1-0 Liverpool Premier League 2017-18 Won 5-0 Lost 4-3 Real Madrid Champions League semi-finals 2015-16 Drew 0-0 Lost 1-0 Roma Champions League group stage 2014-15 Drew 1-1 Won 2-0 Sevilla Champions League group stage 2015-16 Won 2-1 Won 3-1

Guardiola aiming for third CL triumph

City’s Pep Guardiola is chasing Champions League success for a third time as manager, having triumphed twice at Barcelona. He also took Bayern Munich to the semi-finals three times.

None of City’s potential last-eight opponents represents a step into the unknown with the Blues having faced all of them at some stage during what is currently an unbroken seven-year run in the competition.

This is, however, only the second time they have reached the last eight. The other occasion was two years ago, when they beat French side Paris St-Germain before being knocked out by eventual champions, and current holders, Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

This is five-time winners Liverpool’s best performance in the competition since 2009, when they were knocked out by fellow Premier League side Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Records of the rest

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Real Madrid are the most decorated team left in the competition with 12 titles and boast the strongest recent form, having won three of the past four finals.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich, both five-time winners, and the current league leaders in Spain and Germany respectively, were beaten in the quarter-finals last year.

Juventus, two-time champions, were last season’s runners-up.

Roma, who lost the 1984 final to Liverpool, are playing in the quarter-finals for the first time in 10 years, while Sevilla, who have won the Europa League five times since 2006, have not got this far since 1958.

References

^ Listen to the latest Euro Leagues Football Show podcast (www.bbc.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football

English clubs await European quarter-final draws was originally published on 365 Football

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