Key occasions
Talking of Bayern and this week’s European thrills and spills, take pleasure in Soccer Every day – scorching off the press – together with your Thursday night shandy.
No less than there was one shock consequence within the 4 opening Champions League final 16 first legs earlier this week, due to Bayern Munich doing their best Spurs impression with defeat at Lazio. Poor outdated Hazza Kane.
What would represent a shock on this Europa League playoff spherical? Galatasaray and Sporting should be thought-about massive favourites to progress past these ties; whereas later the heavyweights of AC Milan and Benfica will probably be anticipated to cruise via too. There’s not a lot between lots of the different sides, although.
Extra crew information: North London rejects Davinson Sanchez and Lucas Torreira begin for Galatasaray – who’re spearheaded by Euro veterans Mauro Icardi and Dries Mertens – towards Sparta Prague.
There’s one other one within the Marseille lineup towards Shakhtar Donestk, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang begins for the French facet. Les Olympiens even have former Spurs backup goalkeeper Pau López between the sticks.
Sporting’s crew is a hive of thrilling younger expertise. Keep watch over Gonçalo Inácio (22), Daniel Bragança (24) and, in fact, Marcus Edwards (nonetheless solely 25), the identical age as red-hot striker Viktor Gyökeres.
Staff information
Listed below are the Feyenoord and Roma crew information graphics by way of Elon. The Italian outfit look fairly sturdy from the place I’m sitting.
Preamble
European footy is nicely and really again for February and as of late the Europa League actually appears like a reasonably large deal, even when we’re successfully on the spherical of 32 stage with the knockout spherical playoffs, which start this night with 4 first legs kicking off at 5.45pm (UK time).
There are not any British groups on this spherical. Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Rangers all topped their teams to get a direct path to the final 16, with Feyenoord v Roma – a repeat of final yr’s Europa League quarter last, and of the 2022 Europa Convention League last – the choose of the motion this early night. Shakhtar Donetsk v Marseille takes place in Hamburg and appears fairly tasty, whereas Galatasaray v Sparta Prague and Younger Boys v Sporting are fairly high-quality ties as nicely.
There are additionally 4 extra 5.45pm kick-offs within the Europa Convention League’s very personal knockout spherical, that includes the likes of Olympiakos and Eintracht Frankfurt. So keep tuned and soak in as a lot European soccerball as you’ll be able to muster.
