Europa League & Conference League: Round of 16 Preview
The round of 16 is coming up in both the Europa League and the Conference League. Various European teams will compete in this round for a spot in the quarterfinals, moving one step closer to ultimate victory.
Europa League
The first matches of this round will be played on Thursday, February 15th.
Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague: Galatasaray couldn’t survive in the Champions League against Bayern Munich and Copenhagen, so they dropped down to this round of the Europa League. Sparta Prague finished 2nd in Group C after Scottish Rangers.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille: Shakhtar had to concede to Barcelona and Porto in Group H, but performed better than Antwerp. However, it wasn’t enough to stay in the Champions League. French Marseille finished 2 points behind Brighton in Group B.
Feyenoord vs AS Roma: Dutch Feyenoord was heavily defeated by Atletico Madrid and Lazio Roma. They finished in 3rd place with a gap of 4 points. AS Roma managed to secure enough points against Servette and Sheriff, finishing second after Slavia Prague.
Young Boys vs Sporting CP: Swiss Young Boys acknowledged defeat to Manchester City and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. In this round, they face Sporting CP, who finished second after Atalanta in Group D.
Milan vs Rennes: AC Milan was in the “Group of Death” in the Champions League, behind BVB Dortmund and PSG. Rennes finished second in Group F after Villarreal.
Braga vs Qarabag: It’s tough surviving the Champions League in a group with Real Madrid and Napoli. Braga failed too, so they now face Qarabag in the Europa League. Qarabag finished second after Leverkusen in Group H.
Benfica vs Toulouse: A third-place finish in Group D of the Champions League was Benfica’s fate. In this round, they meet Toulouse, who finished behind only Liverpool in their group with Union.
Lens vs Freiburg: RC Lens currently sits sixth in Ligue 1 but couldn’t surpass Arsenal and PSV in the Champions League. Freiburg finished second in their group against West Ham and Olympiacos.
These teams will play again against the same opponents on Thursday, February 22nd, a week later.
Conference League
The Conference League also features a two-legged round. Here are the matches to be played on Thursday, February 15th:
Sturm Graz vs Slovan Bratislava: Austrian Sturm Graz finished third in the Europa League, behind Atalanta and Sporting CP. Slovan Bratislava finished second, only behind LOSC.
Olympiakos vs Ferencvaros: With West Ham and Freiburg in their group, it was too difficult for Olympiakos to stay in the Europa League. They face Ferencvaros, the team that knocked out Genk from European competition. Ferencvaros finished with a one-point lead.
Molde vs Legia Warsaw: Despite being in a relatively easy group, Molde lost a few times too many, ending up in third place. In Group E of the Conference League, they managed to keep AZ Alkmaar out of European football.
Union vs Eintracht Frankfurt: Belgian Union couldn’t maintain their spot in the Europa League. The English powerhouse Liverpool seemed insurmountable from the start, and Ferencvaros proved to be a tough opponent as well. Union finished third and dropped to the Conference League. Frankfurt was comfortably in second place in Group G.
Ajax vs Bodo/Glimt: Dutch Ajax, like Union, finished in third place, with Brighton and Marseille ahead of them. They dropped down to the Conference League and now face Bodo/Glimt. The Norwegian club fell to Club Brugge but performed better than Besiktas and Lugano.
Real Betis vs Dinamo Zagreb: Real Betis finished third, just two points behind the leader, in Group C of the Europa League. In the Conference League, they face Dinamo Zagreb, who finished second with half the points of Viktoria Plzen.
Servette vs Ludogorets: Servette finished third in the group with Slavia Prague and AS Roma. They play against Ludogorets, who finished second behind Fenerbahce.
Maccabi Haifa vs Gent: The last match is between an Israeli and a Belgian club. Haifa had to concede to Villarreal and Rennes in the Europa League and now faces KAA Gent. The Buffaloes finished second in Group B under another Israeli team.
Except for the Gent-Maccabi Haifa match, which is played on Wednesday, February 21st, the teams will play against each other again on Thursday, February 22nd.
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