Although the winning of the Europa League provides an extra trophy for the cabinet, it is what the trophy signifies which is important to teams in the competition. Champions League qualification is the aim, and the reason why many clubs endure the gruelling Thursday-Sunday playing schedule that the competition entails.
However, current circumstances have meant that clubs circumvent such a schedule, and now the Europa League is being completed without running parallel to domestic competitions. It is a competition which is often overlooked. Obviously, the Champions League attracts the most attention and viewers, but football fans often neglect the Champions League’s little brother.
Matches are often exciting – 525 goals have been scored in this years’ competition so far – and now, with only eight teams remaining, matches are of a high quality. Winning the Europa League is not an easy task, past winners have been high-calibre teams: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Man United, Sevilla and Porto are the last five different winners.
When the rewards are great, it is no wonder why teams are focused on victory. With the quarter-finals imminent, we will preview the remaining eight teams and assess their chances of success.
FC København – The Danes will be in high spirits after an impressive 3-0 second leg win against Istanbul Basaksehir. They caught the eye after their 4-2 aggregate win against Celtic in the round of 32, in which 35-year-old striker Dame N'Doye netted twice. They are Denmark’s most popular and most decorated football team, and despite only finishing second in the 2019/20 season, they are the odds-on favourites to take the Superliga title in 2021. Jonas Wind scored twice and assisted in the 3-0 win; the tenacious 21-year-old will be looking to take this form into their difficult quarter-final clash against Man United. While they are huge underdogs, FC København will be looking to upset their English opponents in the one-off quarter-final tie.
However, current circumstances have meant that clubs circumvent such a schedule, and now the Europa League is being completed without running parallel to domestic competitions. It is a competition which is often overlooked. Obviously, the Champions League attracts the most attention and viewers, but football fans often neglect the Champions League’s little brother.
Matches are often exciting – 525 goals have been scored in this years’ competition so far – and now, with only eight teams remaining, matches are of a high quality. Winning the Europa League is not an easy task, past winners have been high-calibre teams: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Man United, Sevilla and Porto are the last five different winners.
When the rewards are great, it is no wonder why teams are focused on victory. With the quarter-finals imminent, we will preview the remaining eight teams and assess their chances of success.
FC København – The Danes will be in high spirits after an impressive 3-0 second leg win against Istanbul Basaksehir. They caught the eye after their 4-2 aggregate win against Celtic in the round of 32, in which 35-year-old striker Dame N'Doye netted twice. They are Denmark’s most popular and most decorated football team, and despite only finishing second in the 2019/20 season, they are the odds-on favourites to take the Superliga title in 2021. Jonas Wind scored twice and assisted in the 3-0 win; the tenacious 21-year-old will be looking to take this form into their difficult quarter-final clash against Man United. While they are huge underdogs, FC København will be looking to upset their English opponents in the one-off quarter-final tie.
Did you know? Their manager, Ståle Solbakken, ended his playing career at FC København, but is most famous for punching a hole in the Molineux dugout during his stint as Wolves boss.
Manchester United – A strong run of form after football’s restart ensured Champions League football for Man United next season as they finished third in the Premier League. While this means that the Europa League’s ultimate prize does not apply to them, their hunger for a trophy should not be underestimated. Subsequent to comfortably winning Group L, United went on to win their first two knockout rounds by an aggregate score of 13-2. They will be full of confidence for the quarter-final and will feel that the final is within reach, as victory would see them play the winner of Wolves v Sevilla in the semi-final. No one has scored more than Bruno Fernandes in the Europa League this season, and in their current form, who would bet against Man United to win their second Europa League in four years?
Did you know? The last time Man United lost a knockout tie in the Europa League was in 2016. They were 3-1 losers in the last 16 against Liverpool, who themselves went on to lose the final to Sevilla.
Sevilla – If you want a team who know how to win this competition, look no further than Sevilla. The Spanish club won the Europa League three seasons in a row under Unai Emery, from 2014 to 2016. Under new manager Julen Lopetegui, Sevilla have looked just as formidable. In his first season, he guided his team to fourth position in La Liga, securing their first top four finish since 2017. He managed the schedule very well, ensuring the quality of his team did not diminish despite their small squad. They haven’t lost a game since February 9th, and comfortably navigated their way past a strong Roma team in the last round. They will be hoping that the likes of Lucas Ocampos and Youssef En-Nesyri can help steer them past Wolves and into the semi-final.
Did you know? Despite their five Europa League triumphs since 2005/06 (which was a 4-0 win against Middlesbrough), Sevilla have never been further than the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
Wolves – Nuno Espirito Santo has done a fantastic job at Wolves since coming in and has guided Wolves to their first European quarter-final since 1972. Despite a solid seventh place finish in the Premier League, they will need to win the Europa League if they wish to participate in Europe next season due to Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph. Raúl Jiménez and Diogo Jota have combined for ten goals in the competition this season, with the former of the two also notching 17 in the Premier League. It was a measured performance that saw them knock out Olympiakos in the last 16, but we should expect them to play with a greater degree of fearlessness against Sevilla on Tuesday. The players will be full of confidence and raring to see how far they can progress in the competition.
Did you know? The last time Man United lost a knockout tie in the Europa League was in 2016. They were 3-1 losers in the last 16 against Liverpool, who themselves went on to lose the final to Sevilla.
Sevilla – If you want a team who know how to win this competition, look no further than Sevilla. The Spanish club won the Europa League three seasons in a row under Unai Emery, from 2014 to 2016. Under new manager Julen Lopetegui, Sevilla have looked just as formidable. In his first season, he guided his team to fourth position in La Liga, securing their first top four finish since 2017. He managed the schedule very well, ensuring the quality of his team did not diminish despite their small squad. They haven’t lost a game since February 9th, and comfortably navigated their way past a strong Roma team in the last round. They will be hoping that the likes of Lucas Ocampos and Youssef En-Nesyri can help steer them past Wolves and into the semi-final.
Did you know? Despite their five Europa League triumphs since 2005/06 (which was a 4-0 win against Middlesbrough), Sevilla have never been further than the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
Wolves – Nuno Espirito Santo has done a fantastic job at Wolves since coming in and has guided Wolves to their first European quarter-final since 1972. Despite a solid seventh place finish in the Premier League, they will need to win the Europa League if they wish to participate in Europe next season due to Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph. Raúl Jiménez and Diogo Jota have combined for ten goals in the competition this season, with the former of the two also notching 17 in the Premier League. It was a measured performance that saw them knock out Olympiakos in the last 16, but we should expect them to play with a greater degree of fearlessness against Sevilla on Tuesday. The players will be full of confidence and raring to see how far they can progress in the competition.
Did you know? Wolves entered the Europa League this season in the second qualifying round, which began on July 25th 2019. If Wolves make the final this month, their 2019/20 season will have lasted 13 months, and they will have just a matter of weeks to prepare for the 2020/21 season.
Shakhtar Donetsk – The Ukrainian side have arguably lost what is their biggest asset in European competitions: the Donbass Arena. Their previous European opponents have all faced long journeys to the depths of the continent, so the fact that their quarter-final tie will be a one-legged match on the outskirts of Duisburg does not suit them. However, three goals in the last four minutes of their last 16 match against Wolfsburg secured a 5-1 aggregate win, so they will be looking forward to a somewhat favourable tie against FC Basel. Having entered the competition via the Champions League, Shakhtar knocked out Benfica 5-4 on aggregate in a thrilling pair of matches. They only lost two games all season in the Ukrainian Premier League, and will be confident of reaching the semi-finals, especially as they knocked out two strong teams in the two rounds prior.
Did you know? Shakhtar have been in at least the second qualifying round of the Champions League every season since 2000/01. They made the quarter-finals in 2011 but lost 6-1 on aggregate to Barcelona.
FC Basel – After a 3-0 win away at a disjointed Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, Basel didn’t have much to do back in Switzerland on Thursday. With 34 domestic trophies to their name, FC Basel will be quietly confident, as sneaking into the final is not an impossibility. If they beat Shakhtar, they will need just one win against either Inter Milan or Bayer Leverkusen to reach the final. 31-year-old defensive midfielder Fabian Frei has scored five goals for them in the Europa League this season, but Basel will need highly-rated youngster Arthur Cabral to contribute more effectively up top if they are to be serious challengers in the Europa League. They have been comfortable defensively so far in Europe however, conceding just four goals in ten games (all of which were in the group stages).
Did you know? FC Basel have competed in a European competition every season since 1999/00. The furthest they have ever reached however is the second round of the Champions League.
Inter Milan – In truth, Antonio Conte’s men were unlucky to be knocked out of a Champions League group containing both Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona. Guided by the goals of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez, Inter have been irresistible for the majority of the season. They finished just one point behind champions Juventus in Serie A this season, and were the league’s second top scorers with 81 goals. Favourable ties against Ludogorets and Getafe secured their place in the quarter-final, where they should expect a much closer match against Bayer Leverkusen.
Did you know? Shakhtar have been in at least the second qualifying round of the Champions League every season since 2000/01. They made the quarter-finals in 2011 but lost 6-1 on aggregate to Barcelona.
FC Basel – After a 3-0 win away at a disjointed Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, Basel didn’t have much to do back in Switzerland on Thursday. With 34 domestic trophies to their name, FC Basel will be quietly confident, as sneaking into the final is not an impossibility. If they beat Shakhtar, they will need just one win against either Inter Milan or Bayer Leverkusen to reach the final. 31-year-old defensive midfielder Fabian Frei has scored five goals for them in the Europa League this season, but Basel will need highly-rated youngster Arthur Cabral to contribute more effectively up top if they are to be serious challengers in the Europa League. They have been comfortable defensively so far in Europe however, conceding just four goals in ten games (all of which were in the group stages).
Did you know? FC Basel have competed in a European competition every season since 1999/00. The furthest they have ever reached however is the second round of the Champions League.
Inter Milan – In truth, Antonio Conte’s men were unlucky to be knocked out of a Champions League group containing both Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona. Guided by the goals of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez, Inter have been irresistible for the majority of the season. They finished just one point behind champions Juventus in Serie A this season, and were the league’s second top scorers with 81 goals. Favourable ties against Ludogorets and Getafe secured their place in the quarter-final, where they should expect a much closer match against Bayer Leverkusen.
Did you know? Despite winning their third Champions League in 2010, Inter Milan were absent from the Champions League for six seasons between 2012/13 and 2017/18. In that time, they only managed to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.
Bayer Leverkusen – The Germans too were knocked out of a tricky Champions League group, managing just six points in six games. However, wins against Porto (5-1) and Rangers (4-1) in the Europa League displayed the intent of Leverkusen, who, after a DFB Pokal final defeat to Bayern Munich, will be determined to win some silverware. Disappointingly, they slipped to fifth in the Bundesliga, meaning that a Europa League victory is their only route back into the Champions League for next season. Most important though, is keeping hold of Kai Havertz. The 21-year-old has already made seven appearances for the German national team, and was Leverkusen’s top scorer in the league this season.
Did you know? Bayer Leverkusen won the then UEFA Cup in 1988 on penalties against Espanyol after a 3-3 draw on aggregate. Before the final, they didn't concede a goal in the tournament since the third round.
Our Final – A Man United victory against FC København seems imminent, but it is difficult to call who they will likely play in the semi-finals. We believe that the experience of Sevilla on the European stage will edge them past Wolves, but can’t see either team beating Man United in the semi-final. The Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Basel match will be captivating in its own right, but we cannot envisage the victors of that match progressing to the final. Inter Milan look most likely. With Alexis Sánchez’s contract secured, and the rest of the squad still fit from the recently-finished Serie A, they should have enough to beat Bayer Leverkusen (troubled by the uncertainty of Havertz’s future) and ultimately reach the final.
Did you know? Bayer Leverkusen won the then UEFA Cup in 1988 on penalties against Espanyol after a 3-3 draw on aggregate. Before the final, they didn't concede a goal in the tournament since the third round.
Our Final – A Man United victory against FC København seems imminent, but it is difficult to call who they will likely play in the semi-finals. We believe that the experience of Sevilla on the European stage will edge them past Wolves, but can’t see either team beating Man United in the semi-final. The Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Basel match will be captivating in its own right, but we cannot envisage the victors of that match progressing to the final. Inter Milan look most likely. With Alexis Sánchez’s contract secured, and the rest of the squad still fit from the recently-finished Serie A, they should have enough to beat Bayer Leverkusen (troubled by the uncertainty of Havertz’s future) and ultimately reach the final.
Written by - Ben Rowe
Edited by - 3-At-The-Back
Edited by - 3-At-The-Back