Europa League Round of 16 Matches Defined!
After the last tickets were confirmed this Thursday, UEFA held the draw, and eight pairings were determined.
The matchups Olympique Marseille-Villarreal, due to the anticipation surrounding the return of Spanish coach Marcelino García Toral to a city from which he had to leave a few months ago after receiving threats, and Qarabag-Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which pits the 'underdog' of the competition against one of the top contenders for the final triumph, stand out in the Europa League round of 16.
Marcelino returns to Marseille. He will visit a team he built in the summer, with which he began the season coaching, but had to leave in September due to threats from the club's ultras against then-president Pablo Longoria.
Since then, curiously, both Marseille and Villarreal have changed coaches three times in the current season. The latest change occurred just two days ago when the French club announced the dismissal of Italian Gennaro Gattuso and the hiring of 70-year-old Jean-Louis Gasset, who was sacked as Ivory Coast's coach in the last Africa Cup of Nations.
It's a tie between two teams in turmoil: Marseille is ninth in their league; Villarreal is thirteenth; far from securing a place next season in European competition. Hence, both clubs see the Europa League as the best opportunity to achieve that coveted goal.
The main danger for Villarreal will be Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, formerly of Barcelona, who yesterday scored the goal that makes him, with 31 goals, the all-time leading scorer in the Europa League.
Theoretically, Bayer, led by Spanish coach Xabi Alonso, the current leader of the Bundesliga, has drawn the most accessible opponent: Qarabag, making their debut in the round of 16. The Azerbaijani team and the German already faced each other in the group stage, with Leverkusen winning both matches (5-1, 0-1).
The Premier League leader, another top contender for the title, Liverpool, will face Sparta Prague. The team led by German Jurgen Klopp, who has already announced he will leave the Reds at the end of the season, should not have major difficulties against one of the two Czech teams still in contention, although Sparta surprised Turkish Galatasaray in the previous round and boasts Ecuadorian defender Angelo Preciado.
Exciting matchups include Freiburg-West Ham and Sporting Portugal-Atalanta, especially the latter. Lisbon and Bergamo teams are tough, play good football, and are capable of making it very difficult for any opponent.
Furthermore, Sporting and Atalanta are familiar with each other, having faced off already this season in the group stage, with a draw in Italy (1-1) and an away victory for Atalanta (1-2).
Benfica will face Rangers with slight Portuguese favoritism, but with the obligation to stay focused against a determined team that does not give up and can press hard.
The double duel between Roma and Brighton is also attractive, with the visit of the Premier League's fashionable coach and already on the agenda of several European 'giants', Roberto de Zerbi, to his country. Considering the moment each team is going through, and the greater knowledge of the opponent, the English team seems to have better chances of advancing.
Milan, hesitant in their own championship but efficient in the Europa League, will face Slavia Prague, in a tie where they are favored, now that they seem to have recovered the best version of their forward Rafael Leao.
