2015/16 Europa League
Winners against Losers, but these losers might be perceived as stronger. The teams advancing from 2015/16 Europa League group stage and teams that failed to advance in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage are in the mix to fight for UEFA’s second biggest Club title. The UEFA Europa League Round of 32 will serve us 16 of the best matchups in the world of football. A lot of these teams are equally matched, so this will be exciting for the neutral.
Competition in the UEFA Europa League is just as strong as the UEFA Champions League. It can be argued that it gets a little more competitive in the UEFA Europa League knockout stage than that of the UEFA Champions League. The inclusion of the teams that failed in UCL should improves the quality of the match ups in the Europa League round of 32.
The survivors of the Europa League group stage are not going to sit back and let ‘failures’ of Champions League come and win a trophy they’ve had to plan for since the beginning of their season.
Sevilla’s demotion from the Champions League to the Europa League gives them the opportunity to retain the already retained title one more time.
Can Sevilla keep the trophy 3 years in a row?
The matchups for the Round of 32
Valencia (Spain) vs Rapid Wien (Austria) Rapid Wien topping the group is fine, but a La Liga side is always given an advantage. Their away record does not speak well for them. Losing to teams that didn’t make it into the knockout stage. Valencia (Spain) is matched with Rapid Wien (Austria). We can expect a win for Valencia in this match-up. However, Rapid Wien was the group leaders in Group E of the 2015/16 Europa League. Valencia on the other hand fell behind Zenit St. Petersburg and Gent in their Champions League group. It is difficult to underestimate a La Liga side in a UEFA club competition, but this might be a tricky match. The football universe will not be expecting much from the Austrians, but that might be what a team needs to beat a favorite.
Fiorentina (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur (England) Teams with a good chance at a silverware. Tottenham is a big team.(In Europa League) and so topping their group is no surprise. Both teams would have wished to have a ‘better’ opposition. In this case ‘better’ means ‘easier’. This is a matchup that will eliminate a team with great potential. Fiorentina is gunning for the Scudetto this season. And they have a good chance in Serie A to break Juventus dominance in recent seasons. Tottenham on the other side trying not to compete in the Europa League next year. They are pushing for a ‘Top 4’ finish in the Premiership. Just like Fiorentina, this goal looks very achievable. This is two teams that are almost at their prime. It is unfortunate that one of them will not go beyond this round. This is a well matched game. Home advantage will matter.
Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs Porto (Portugal) will be another spectacle for fans. Even though Porto is the teams coming from UEFA Champions League, Borussia Dortmund could very much be the favorite in this matchup.However, Borussia Dortmund did not do too great in the group stage of the Europa League. They did not top their group, and loss a 3rd of their group stage matches. But we can’t count out the what is possibly the only team in the Bundesliga that is keeping up with the dominating Bayern Munich. Despite losing at home to PAOK FC in the group stages, home advantage for Borussia Dortmund can not be denied. It will take a lot of luck to win against when playing away. Porto is team that does not fail to manufacture quality in players. Stopping Benfica from winning the Portuguese league for the 3rd time in a row will be on their mind, but it shouldn’t be a distraction when they meet up with Borussia Dortmund. This will be a close game. But advantage to Borussia Dortmund.
Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia) Fenerbahce needs to get things straight in the knockout stage. Lokomotiv is a tricky side. Can’t count out any team this season. But this competition will demand a lot from these teams. And Lokomotiv might not be able to dig that deep into the heart of their team to find what is need.
Anderlecht (Belgium) vs Olympiacos (Greece) Anderlecht might need to pull out more to get by in the knockouts
Midtjylland (Denmark) vs Manchester United (England) Midtjylland have nothing to lose, especially when playing against Manchester United in the round of 32. They’ve exceeded the expectations of many, and Midtjylland will have nothing to lose playing a team like Manchester United. Manchester United will be going into the competition as underachievers. Manchester United failed to get out of a UCL group that shouldn’t have been a difficult task for a team of their caliber. This is a team that is trying to get back into the rhythm of winning. There couldn’t be a better time for Midtjylland to grab a win against Manchester United.
Augsburg (Germany) vs Liverpool (England) Expectations for Augsburg might not be that hight. Which should be perfect for the Bundesliga side to make strides to get as far as they can in this competition. Liverpool remained undefeated in their Europa League group, but they found it hard to grab a win. 2 wins and 4 draws is not impressive for a team that is trying to go places. Playing against Augsburg is a major advantage for Liverpool. Augsburg should be too much of a task. They have a german coach with experience in German football system. Even with that aside, Liverpool is a team that should cruise against Augsburg. But this is football, and this season is an open season.
Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) vs Krasnodar (Russia) Krasnodar might unexpectedly bring challenge to some of the established top sides that are in contention in the knockout stage. Krasnodar topped a group with Borussia Dortmund in it, and are doing ok in the Russian Premier League. Sparta Prague remains undefeated in this competition. This is another even matchup that could go either way.
Galatasaray (Turkey) vs Lazio (Italy)Galatasaray is coming in from the Champions League. This is suppose to be a easier competition., right? Well we wait to see it they can put away the undefeated side Lazio. Lazio is a side that has the ability to make their presence be known in the knockout stage of the competition. They took advantage of home advantage. Lazio is a side that is undefeated in this competition. They have the quality to pull a win against a team like Galatasaray. ·
Sion (Switzerland) vs Braga (Portugal) Sion might have exceeded their goals by coming in second Braga looks solid, not scoring enough, but doing enough to be enough.
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs Schalke 04 (Germany) Schalke is expected to top their group as they did. Now can they make a push in the second round of the competition, After the arrival of the big boys? Unfortunately they happened to be one of the teams that was paired with a side from the Champions League. Shakhtar Donetsk is a quality side, and moving on from this stage is not a task that is beyond this team. Fans might expect more from Schalke 04, as they would with most Bundesliga side. But could go in a any direction. Don’t trust anyone who tells you other.
Marseille (France) vs Athletic Bilbao (Spain) Marseille is having a tough time finding their place in the Ligue 1. Coming in second, above Slovan Liberec and Groningen does not impress most fans to this there is hope for them in the knockout stage. But maybe this might be a focus, since Ligue 1 teams are clearly losing the trophy to PSG.Athletic Bilbao did what was expected of them and topped their group. Losing one on the road to a struggling AZ could have been avoided. But this is futbol. This might go in the favor of Athletic Bilbao. We don’t have the confident Marseille of the past. and it will show, if they don’t find solutions.
Sevilla (Spain) vs Molde (Norway) Molde might surprise a few people after topping the group that included Celtic Ajax and Fenerbahce. But how dare we not to expect La Liga to come out on top. Sevilla already has it’s hands on the trophy, it’s will be up to the rest of the competition to find a way to get it. Molde is going to be the first to attempt to end Sevilla’s streak. This match favors Sevilla
Sporting CP (Portugal) vs Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) Sporting CP is going for the league in Portugal. Their biggest contenders there are the obvious Benfica and FC Porto. Will this be a distraction? They are obviously a quality side and should be able to handle both competitions. The last time they won the league was in 2002. Ever since then, Porto and Benfica have kept the title between them. Sporting CP is the only hope to break this thread. Bayer Leverkusen have the in-form Chicharito Hernandez. They are a quality Bundesliga side, and will be a steep hill for Sporting CP to climb.
Villarreal (Spain) vs Napoli (Italy) Napoli is faultless. 6 out of 6, Outscoring 22 -3. Very efficient at home, as they should be, Napoli is going for the league title this year. And they have the quality to do so. Villarreal has a good shot at finishing top 4 in the La Liga. This is not something that is easy to accomplish when 75% of this position is perceived as unavailable. Being in contention for ‘top 4’ finish in La Liga is a sign of their quality. This is another evenly matched game. Defensive mistakes should be avoided.
Saint-Etienne (France) vs Basel (Switzerland) Basel were the group leaders in a group that included Fiorentina. They are the current champions of the Swiss Super League, and it is looking like they will keep that trophy again this year. This a very quality side, a side that intends on making it far into the competition, and there is nothing to underestimate. Even though the last time they won the league was over three decades ago, Saint-Etienne is the most successful team in French football league. But history does not win these tournament, does it? Like every other Ligue 1 side this year, Saint-Etienne can forget about winning the league and focus on not getting relegated. This matchup looks to favor Basel.
2015/16 UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 matchup
1. Valencia (Spain) vs Rapid Wien (Austria)
2. Fiorentina (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur (England)
3. Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs Porto (Portugal)
4. Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)
5. Anderlecht (Belgium) vs Olympiacos (Greece)
6. Midtjylland (Denmark) vs Manchester United (England)
7. Augsburg (Germany) vs Liverpool (England)
8. Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) vs Krasnodar (Russia)
9. Galatasaray (Turkey) vs Lazio (Italy)
10. Sion (Switzerland) vs Braga (Portugal)
11. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs Schalke 04 (Germany)
12. Marseille (France) vs Athletic Bilbao (Spain)
13. Sevilla (Spain) vs Molde (Norway)
14. Sporting CP (Portugal) vs Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
15. Villarreal (Spain) vs Napoli (Italy)
16. Saint-Etienne (France) vs Basel (Switzerland)
These are the 8 teams that will face an ex-Champions League opposition.
1. Rapid Wien (Austria),
2. Borussia Dortmund (Germany),
3. Anderlecht (Belgium),
4. Midtjylland (Denmark),
5. Lazio (Italy),
6. Schalke 04 (Germany),
7. Molde (Norway),
8.Sporting CP (Portugal)
