Europa League Quarter Finals Draw 3/21/2014.

Almost as exciting as the Champions League draw, the next round of the Europa League will see giants go head to head alongside minnows hoping to slay some giants. First up is AZ Alkmaar's game with SL Benfica. If the Portuguese side can get keeper Artur back into the line-up and survive without Silvio in defense, they have the scoring talent to put one over their Dutch opponents. As for AZ, the loss through suspension of Jeffrey Gouweleeuw will be a blow to their prospects. Nevertheless, Johann Gudmundsson and Nick Viergever should make life difficult for Benfica in the first leg in the Netherlands. Possibly the tie of the round, Lyon's game with Juventus promises action, suspense, and Andrea Pirlo. The midfield magic-maker was critical in putting the Italian giants past Fiorentina in the Round of 16. If the French side cannot shut him down, they may as well pack up and go home. As for the team news, almost half of Juve's eligible defensive line is out: Andrea Barzagli, Federico Peluso, and Angelo Ogbonna make up that number. Claudio Marchisio is also out in midfield meaning the likes of Pablo Osvaldo and Arturo Vidal will be relied upon heavily. If Andrea Pirlo continues his amazing form, Juve may just make it to the Final in Turin. As for Lyon, they have their share of injuries - defenders Gueida Fofana and Samuel Umtiti in addition to midfielder Clement Grenier - though the depth of their bench does stand as a factor in their favor. If Bafetimbi Gomis and Alexandre Lacazette are not closed down by the Italians, the French very well may win through. It will be though for the Italians in France in the first leg but I think they have the quality to progress so long as Gianluigi Buffon stays sharp and his teammates at the other hand make some fire. While Valencia are an obvious choice to make it through at the expense of Basel of Switzerland, I think the injuries and suspensions list only swing the balance even more in the favor of the Spaniards. The dubious status of Ivan Ivanov, Kay Voser, Fabian Schar, Behrang Safari, Serey Die, Marcelo Diaz, Taulant Xhaka, and Endogan Adili put the Swiss giants in a precarious position. Much depends on 32 year old Marco Streller while Valentin Stocker and Gaston Sauro have to show more consistency if they expect their side to get past Valencia. Everything isn't chocolate and roses for the Spaniards though, with Ricardo Costa and Philippe Senderos injured and Seydou Keita suspended. All the same, the talents of Paco Alcacer, Fede Cartabia, and company should overpower their Swiss opposition unless Yann Sommer - Basel's goalie - performs some magic worthy of sainthood. Last but not least, Porto - Sevilla will be an amazing Iberian encounter with the Portuguese side clear favorites to win after knocking out Napoli in the previous round. The Spanish side will regret the losses of Daniel Carrico, Stephane Mbia, Sebastian Cristoforo, Denis Cheryshev, and (through suspension) Vicente Iborra. Unless Kevin Gameiro or Diego Perotti step up and shoulder some of the load, I'm dubious that Javier Varas will be able to keep the Sevilla goal free of balls. On the other bench, Porto will hope goalkeeper Helton recovers from his ankle injury swiftly or else expect a feast of goals that could go either way. Fabiano is a decent sort but I doubt he can fill the gloves of Helton. Compounding factors include the suspension of Alex Sandro but otherwise, I think the Portuguese are too much for their Spanish neighbors. Putting a good performance in will be critical for Sevilla who travel to northern Portugal for the first leg. Make sure to catch a game or two!

Europa League Round of 16 - 3/13/2014

Scintillating performances throughout Europe today, let's begin with Porto - Napoli. Playing at home, the Portuguese were probably hoping for a lead to take into the second leg with a clean-sheet the best result defensively. Well, they got it! With slightly more possession and opportunities in front of goal, Porto played a tense first half with Napoli absorbing pressure though unable to successfully counter. Finally, in the 57th minute of the second half, Jackson Martinez slotted home for the Northern Portuguese side off of a corner kick to give his side a lead they retained (without adding to it) for the rest of the match. All the same, I would expect Napoli to show more tooth in the return fixture in front of their home fans. If Gonzalo Higuain is actually included in the squad for the game in Italy, I would think the side from Naples will claim victory. Gokhan Inler and Lorenzo Insigne will have to be on their games as well though, if Napoli are to progress much further in the competition. Porto on the other hand will hope that Helton in goal can maintain his record begun this game while coach Luis Castro will hope defender Eliaquim Mangala or veteran striker Ricardo Quaresma will be able to find the back of the net at least once each.

Next up? Basel versus Salzburg! If you thought the 1-0 result between Porto and Napoli was close, the showdown between the last Swiss and Austrian representatives was a nail-biter! A flurry of yellow cards midway through the fist half put the game off of its pace though the visitors did have the lions share of the opportunities. Nevertheless, the defensive stalwarts at Basel ensured their goal net did not bulge. At the same time, either Marco Streller or Valentin Stocker will have to score if the Swiss side want any chance at making it through to the next round. The second leg in Austria will be a tough one and I suspect Jonatan Soriano will be the decisive factor. The injury to Alan is obviously less than ideal for Salzburg, but with Peter Gulacsi in goal, Martin Hinteregger providing much needed energy in the defense, and Sadio Mane in the midfield, things are looking relatively good for the Austrians.

Turning now to my favorite dark horses, Bulgarian side Ludogorets, they appear to have been dealt a hand they cannot win in Valencia. A great deal rested on Ludogorets' home performance, though Valencia's away record is a formidable one. Frankly, the Spaniards just overwhelmed the Bulgarians. Antonio Barragan's 5th minute goal bloodied the hosts, though the sending off of Seydou Keita in the 24th minute did not prove the God-send Lodogorets needed: Roman Bezjak's penalty attempt was saved in the 26th minute while Fede Cartabia made it 0-2 in the 33rd minute. Going in for the half, the Bulgarians had every right to be disappointed in themselves. Sadly, that disappointment was not channeled in a constructive manner: Philippe Senderos made it 0-3 for Valencia in the 59th minute while Juninho Quixada was sent off in the 80th minute for Ludogorets to cap a terrible night for the hosts. Next week, the Bulgarians must support Bezjak better if they have any chance of fighting for pride in Spain - making it to the next round is probably out of their reach. With Juninho out, the likes of Virgil Misidjan and Hristo Zlatinski will have to step up alongside keeper Vladislav Stoyanov and his defense. Otherwise, I see no reason why Valencia shouldn't go ahead and book their ticket for the next round.

Up in England, Tottenham Hotspur really needed a good result against SL Benfica if they had any hope of turning what has been an underwhelming season around. They were unsuccessful in their attempt. Despite 10% less possession, the Portuguese had double the goal-scoring opportunities and almost three times as many efforts that actually tested Hugo Lloris in Spurs' goal. By the numbers, it was only a matter of time before one of those shots found their way in. Turns out, it was Rodrigo who gave Benfica a 0-1 lead at White Hart Lane in the 30th minute. Many of the home fans were probably happy to go in at the half just one down, however the second half quickly saw the English sides situation worsen: Benfica's captain and veteran defender Luisao struck home in the 58th minute to make it 0-2. Christian Eriksen did claw one back for Spurs, but 6 minutes before the end of the game Luisao struck again to bring him level with fellow-veteran Lima at the top of the club's scoring list for the year. Trouble is on the horizon for Tottenham if their performance doesn't improve on the road!

Welcoming Russian minnows Anji Makhachkala to the Netherlands was a positive start to the two-legged tie for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, though they made it as difficult as possible for themselves. Despite 63% of possession, AZ could only score through Aron Johannsson's penalty in the 29th minute. Counter-intuitively, Anji were actually the side with more opportunities, roughly double the amount that the Netherlands' final representative in the Europa League tallied. Frankly, if there had been as many goals as there were cards handed out, it would have been a much better game in my opinion. Having said that, I hope Anji play with a similar style at home; they just might win it! If goalie Esteban isn't on form in Russia, I would hope the members of Anji's relatively unknown squad are able to connect and create something beautiful. A place in the next round may be asking a little much, but if the Russians can keep Johann Gudmundsson and Nick Viergever off of their games, anything is possible - they just need some goals.

French side Lyon's game with the Czech Republic's Viktoria Plzen was an understandably more one-sided affair: the gulf in class was just too great. Although Plzen did deliver a slap to the face with their 2nd minute goal through Tomas Horava, it was in all likelihood a fluke with Lyon going on to dominate possession with 62% of the ball and scoring a total of four times for a 4-1 final scoreline. Gueida Fofana equalized for the French in the 12th minute, a situation remained until 8 minutes after the half-time break. Then, it was Alexandre Lacazette who struck in the 53rd minute before Arnold Mvuemba tacked on a third in the 61st. Just to cement their commanding position, Fofana gave Lyon their fourth goal in the 70th minute to leave Plzen tangled in the ropes going into the second leg. A Czech comeback would probably require the return of Matus Kozacik though the aged back-line is not doing them any favors. It would be great to see some more goals from Milan Petrzela, Stanislav Tecl, Daniel Kolar, or even Tomas Horava, but I doubt any such goals would be anything more than a consolation prize.

Down in Spain, Sevilla versus Real Betis was a domestic encounter on the international stage that saw the hosts fall flat on their face. With 70% of possession, Sevilla lost their heads after Leo Baptistao's 15th minute goal gave the visitors the lead. The number of yellow cards that were accrued by Betis may cause them to be more cautious in the second leg, but a second goal from Salva Sevilla (yes, that is his name; Sevilla may well be kicked out courtesy of Sevilla) in the 77th minute ironed out who was on top. Honestly though, there is no reason why Sevilla (the club, not the player) should just bow out with a whimper. Kevin Gameiro, Vitolo, and Diego Perotti should produce something in the return fixture as Sevilla play regularly in league competition at home to Real Betis. Based solely on today's performance though, I would say Beto should perhaps be rested for the next match and replaced by Javier Varas in goal while I guess I don't see why Daniel Carrico wasn't started.

Finally, another domestic rivalry played out on the world stage: Juventus against Fiorentina! It was a story of two halves with hosts Juve dominating the first after Arturo Vidal gave them the lead in the 3rd minute of the match. Then the Chilean went on to miss what could well have been at least two more goals, providing the visitors with the half-time break to draw up a strategy to take the game to the Bianconeri. Surprisingly, it was Mario Gomez who struck for Fiorentina, in the 79th minute, to make it a 1-1 game as the final whistle blew 13 minutes later. Let's see if the German can make some more goals like that in Brazil! Nothing against the Fiorentina side, but Juventus should just have too much in the bag to get kicked out just like that. Expect an explosive return leg, perhaps an Andrea Pirlo assist, goals from either Pablo Osvaldo, Arturo Vidal or Fernando Llorente (if he plays). Without Giorgio Chiellini the back line does look somewhat less formidable, but with Gianluigi Buffon in goal and a number of talented defenders to call on, Juve are still in this. Have a great weekend!

Europa League Update: November 7th 2013

After the latest fixtures, the Europa League tables are starting to shape up quite nicely. In Group A the likes of Valencia and Swansea look relatively secure in their qualification hopes with 9 and 8 points respectively in comparison to St. Gallen's 3 and Kuban Krasnodar's 2. Group B is being absolutely dominated by a side few will have heard of: Bulgarian side Ludrogorets Razgrad with an astonishing 10 points from 4 games played! Second place is held somewhat firmly by PSV Eindhoven who would be very surprised not to qualify from this group. The Dutch side have 7 points. Chornomorets Odesa and Dinamo Zagreb round out the group with 4 and 1 points each. On to Group C where Salzburg have fought hard for their place at the top with a perfect 12 points to their name - three above closest competitors Esbjerg who have 9 points. Elfsborg and Standard de Liege have had abysmal campaigns this year with a total of 2 points between the two of them. As for Group D, Rubin Kazan have gone quite clear at the top with 10 points - 5 over 2nd place Wigan Athletic. The English side have been severely tested by the likes of Zulte Waregem and Maribor who have 4 and 3 respectively so I would expect some hard fought games coming up in the not too distant future as the fate of the group is decided. Group E has had the opposite story: Fiorentina have been perfect with 12 points, 2nd place Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 9, and Pandurii Targu Jiu and Pacos de Ferreira with 1 each. The only group with a German side at the top, Group F has Eintracht Frankfurt fighting to stay above water with 9 points while the hounds are right on their heels: Maccabi Tel-Aviv have 7, APOEL have earned 4 points, and - rather surprisingly - Bordeaux are at the bottom of the table with just 3 points! The +6 goal difference that the Germans have accrued means that it will take something special for them to not at the very least qualify from this group. Over in Group G Genk of Belgium and Dynamo Kyiv of Russia look like the best bets to get through with 8 and 7. Having said that, if Thun and Rapid Wien take their games up a notch, we might see a spectacular ending to this group. The only other group where a German side have any chance of making it through is Group H where Sevilla currently lead with 8 and Slovan Liberec (of the Czech Republic) have 6. Freiburg sit 3rd with 3 points - within striking distance as they face the Czechs in the Czech Republic and Sevilla in Germany. No one said it was an ideal situation! We'll have to wait and see. Portugal's Estoril Praia sit bottom with 2 points. Onwards to Group I! While not much of a surprise, Real Betis and Olympique Lyon have been unconvincing in getting to their 1st and 2nd positions. While admittedly undefeated each, they have consistently performed in some of the most boring games in the tournament. Portuguese side Vitoria scored 4 in a thorough demolition of bottom of the table Croatian side Rijeka, Lyon and Betis have scored a goal a game - drawing and just barely defeating the bottom of the table side. While I would love to see nothing more than Vitoria make it through - they do have a decent goal difference - at the expense of Lyon, chances are that won't happen. But wouldn't it be great? Groups J, K, and L are each relatively straightforward affairs with the usual suspects performing at or above expectations. In Group J, Trabzonspor of Turkey have remained undefeated alongside 2nd place Lazio as 3rd place Apollon Limassol will be hoping for a miracle with a 4 point gap between themselves and the teams on either side of them: Legia Warszawa have 0 in 4th position. Group K has lived up to predictions with Tottenham Hotspur claiming an 8 goal difference and a perfect 12. Anji Makhachkala have been making a name for themselves as they pick up the scraps - although they still have to face Spurs in England (after losing 0-2 at home in Russia). Be that as it may, they should get at least a point from hosting Moldovan side FC Sheriff. Bottom of the table Tromso with 1 point are left to fight for pride and wonder about what might have been. Last but certainly not least, Group L! Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and PAOK of Greece have moved well in establishing themselves in the group with 8 points each and a +2 goal difference. On the other hand, Maccabi Haifa and Shakhtar Karagandy will most likely be in a hurry to forget this international season since neither of them have shown any sign of improving on their lackluster performances thus far. Make sure to try to catch some of the games!