After the first knockout round of this season’s UEFA Europa League provided so much drama and excitement, it’s going to be awfully hard for this round to be an improvement. That doesn’t mean it won’t make an effort, though, and there’s some very exciting matchups to help us out on that front.
What to watch and expect in the Europa League round of 16
As the Champions League starts to move to the quarter finals, so to does the Europa League begin to see how moves on to the next round.
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From the five Italian teams trying to dominate the competition, to the bulldozing force that Wolfsburg have become, to Ajax's youth revolution in action, and to the duel in Spain, there's plenty of things going on in this round of the Europa League that bear close scrutiny. Can the Russian sides still in the tournament make more of an impact than clubs from their country normally seem to? What about the Ukrainian sides, Dnipro and Dynamo Kyiv? With just one English side left, can Everton do their nation justice? All these questions and more will start getting answers this week, and the stories those answers tell should be fun.
Italy keeps on trollin’
Italian sides shocked the world in the last round, with all five clubs from the nation advancing, with several incredible and dramatic results along the way. Napoli ran over Trabzonspor, Inter Milan won a slugfest with Celtic, Roma overcame massive fan distractions to see off a talented Feyenoord side, Fiorentina shocked Tottenham, and Torino played an absolute epic of a tie with Athletic Bilbao and became the first Italian side to win at the San Mames.
This round promises to be just as exciting for Italian teams, with Napoli taking on an underrated Dynamo Moscow team, Torino facing a mountainous task against Zenit St. Petersburg, Inter trying to slow the juggernaut of Wolfsburg, and two Italian teams fighting for supremacy as
Dueling in Spain
While most eyes in Spain are on the big three of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid as those sides battle for La Liga and Champions League supremacy, there are two other Spanish sides who have done very well so far to make it to this point of the Europa League. Now, though, only one can advance to the quarter finals as both Villarreal and Sevilla have been drawn against each other in the round of 16.
Sevilla are the defending Europa League champions and will be eager to repeat to feat, especially with a Champions League place now on the line. Villarreal, though, have been in fantastic form of late, including their impressive win over Salzburg in the last round and battled their way through an incredible match against Real Madrid that ended dramatically in a draw. The two sides are also separated by just one point in the La Liga table, so it looks like this should be an evenly-fought tie that will demand attention.
Can Anyone Stop The Wolves?
Wolfsburg have been a nearly unstoppable powerhouse since the Bundesliga’s winter break ended in January, with Bas Dost scoring goals in bunches, Kevin De Bruyne wreaking havoc behind him, and the rest of the squad having the time of their lives as Die Wölfe keep rolling on, winning eight of eleven matches since the break and scoring 24 goals along the way.
They did just lose to Augsburg last weekend, Wolfsburg’s first loss since November, but they still played well and Italian side Inter will have to be at their absolute best to overcome the Germans, especially in this first leg with the raucous atmosphere of the Volkswagen Arena. Roberto Mancini knows that his side has a huge challenge on their hands as they try to find some way, any way, to get past Dieter Hecking’s green-clad squad.
Only Youth Survived The Drop
Of the eight sides that dropped down from the Champions League, only one of them survived the first knockout round. Dutch power Ajax got a kind draw against Legia Warsaw and advanced easily, but now face a much tougher task against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. With Ajax’s form finally recovering from a poor start, their youth revolution appears to finally be paying off.
With 10 players under the age of 25 who have made at least 15 starts this season, Ajax have been leaning on their incredible youth development system to a large degree this season. Players like Anwar El Ghazi, Arkadiusz Milik, Lars Andersen, and Nicolai Boilesen have been opening a lot of eyes this season, and that Ajax’s success has come without the injured Viktor Fischer just makes it all the more impressive. After how disappointing the start to this season was for Ajax, making some real noise in this tournament would be a big sign that the bad times are behind them.
Full Round of 16 first leg schedule
Full TV and online streaming listings available here.
Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Torino, 1 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk vs. Ajax, 2 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local
Wolfsburg vs. Inter Milan, 2 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local
Club Brugge vs. Beşiktaş, 2 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local
Napoli vs. Dynamo Moscow, 4:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local
Everton vs. Dynamo Kyiv, 4:05 p.m. ET, 4:05 p.m. local
Fiorentina vs. AS Roma, 4:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local
Villarreal vs. Sevilla, 4:05 p.m. ET, 9:05 p.m. local
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