It is now time for Europe's second most important tournament, Europa League. Even though it could not be compared to the greatness and the atmosphere of Champions League, this tournament could still provide the neutral fan with a great amount of emotion and great battles on the field. It also provides a safety net for the big football clubs which don't have the chance to compete in CL. And with the new rules granting the winner a place in the groups of the most commercial tournament next year the odds are really high and every team would fight for the title since for most of them that's their only chance to play in Europe next season. My personal favorites are Napoli and Liverpool, but nevertheless big chances of winning the trophy have Tottenham, Fiorentina, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Lazio, Manchester United, and the last year's champion Sevilla. (As well as all the other teams of course)
Even though it is an early stage of the tournament's eliminations, we already have a few clashes between big teams. Some of them are Villareal vs Napoli, Fiorentina vs Tottenham, Anderlecht vs Olimpiakos, Borussia vs Porto, Shakhtar vs Schalke 04, Galatasaray vs Lazio, and Sporting vs Bayer Leverkusen. My predictions for all of round of 32's matches are as follows:
Midtjylland vs Manchester United - even though United are not in their best form they are going to win both of the matches and eliminate the other team.
Villareal vs Napoli - Napoli are one of the favorites for the title and Villareal should not be an obstacle for them; win for Napoli in both matches.
Saint Ettiene vs Basel - this would be a tied clash since both teams are doing really well in their league. However, we all know what Basel could do in Europe since in their last 2 campaigns they reached a 1/4 final in Europa League and a 1/8 final in CL. I think that Basel will eliminate ASSE, however, it is almost sure that the first match will be a draw since Basel do not play that good in their away matches.
Fiorentina vs Tottenham - a hard first match in Italy (probably a draw) and a win for Tottenham in the second leg. Tottenham will eliminate their Italian rivals.
Sevilla vs Molde - Win for Sevilla in both matches.
Anderlech vs Olimpiakos - Olimpiakos were really close to the 1/8 finals in CL, but they finished 3rd in their group after they lost the last match against Arsenal. They show, however, a quality in their game which could harden some of the biggest teams in Europe. Anderlecht should not be an obstacle for them. A draw in Belgium and a win for Olimpiakos in Greece.
Borussia vs Porto - definitely the derby of the night. Borussia are 2nd in Germany and are the only team to question Bayern's title with only 6 points behind them. Porto, on the other hand, are 3rd in Portugal, but also have really good chances of winning the league. It seems that Borussia is the favorite in this clash, but Porto have a great weapon this season, Iker Cassilas. Despites it is never easy to play in Portugal. My prediction is a draw in both matches and possibly extra time. I think that Porto will eliminate Borussia.
Shakhtar vs Schalke - Schalke are not having their best season. They are now 5th in Germany while Shakhtar are 1st and show quality in their European matches. Win for Shakhtar tonight and a draw in the second leg, Shakhtar eliminates Schalke.
Galatasaray vs Lazio - Both teams are in a bad form since Galatasaray are 5th in Turkey and Lazio are 7th in Seria A. My prediction is a win for Galatasaray tonight and a win for Lazio in Rome. I thonk that Lazio will eliminate Galatasaray.
Olimpique de Marseille vs Athletic Bilbao - Olimpique are in bad form while Athletic show a stable form in their matches. I predict a draw tonight and a win for Athletic in Spain. Athletic advance.
Sion vs Braga - Sion were second in their hard group with Liverpool and Rubin while Braga won their easy group to advance to this stage. I predict a win for Sion tonight and a win for Braga in the second leg. Possible extra time and I think that Braga will advance.
Augsburg vs Liverpool - Two easy wins for Liverpool.
Sporting Lisbon vs Bayer Leverkusen - Leverkusen were close to finish second in their CL group and advance to the 1/8 finals, but they finished 3rd just behind Roma. They show a good quality in their last matches. On the other hand, Sporting are first in their league and seem to win it this year. I predict a draw tonight and a win for Leverkusen in the second leg. Leverkusen advance.
Sparta Praha vs Krasnodar - Sparta finished second in their group with Schalke and Krasnodar won their group with Borussia to advance to this stage of the tournament. I predict a draw tonight and w win for Krasnodar in the second match. Krasnodar advance.
Valencia vs Rapid Wien - Even though Valencia may not be in their best form, they are definitely the favorites for this clash. My prediction is a win for Valencia tonight and a tied second match.
Enjoy the spectacle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-B1uZwLjh8
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