Many feared that Juventus would not take the UEFA Europa League seriously when they entered the competition, but with their Scudetto all but locked up and Italy facing another drop in the UEFA coefficients, there's no reason for them to not attempt to go win a trophy. They had a tough time with Serie A rivals Fiorentina, and they might have similar difficulty dispatching of Lyon, who coasted past Viktoria Plzen in the previous round.
UEFA Europa League draw 2014 results: Favorites Juventus get stiff test in the quarterfinals
There aren’t any weak teams left in the Europa League, but two of the best have run into each other in the quarterfinals.
The biggest threat to Juventus -- both in this competition and in the standing of their league -- comes from Portugal. Porto were impressive in their Round of 16 win over Napoli, while Benfica dispatched Tottenham easily at White Hart Lane, even if they did make things a bit difficult on themselves in the home leg of their tie. Portuguese sides have taken this competition very seriously in the recent past, and they might be even more inclined to do so this time around now that clear gaps have opened up in the Portuguese Liga table.
Valencia and FC Basel play in the fourth tie, and it would be a surprise for either to get by Lyon, Juventus or either of the Portuguese sides. Basel somehow got by Salzburg with 10 men on Thursday, while Valencia have benefitted from easy draws against an understandably unfocused Dynamo Kiev team and Bulgarian side Ludogorets. Valencia haven't been good domestically, while Basel lost their best player in the January transfer window.
Europa League Quarterfinals
- AZ Alkmaar vs. SL Benfica
- Olympique Lyonnais vs. Juventus
- FC Basel vs. Valencia
- FC Porto vs. Sevilla
See More:
