The Europa League is often looked down on, but that doesn’t change that there’s a lot going for it as a competition. Especially this late in the competition, the matches are great, the excitement is high, and the stories are fascinating. Every match has something behind it driving whatever the result will be -- some narrative, a question, a point to be proven.
The best storylines from the Klopp Derby and the rest of the Europa League
The Europa League quarterfinals bring a lot of interesting stories to consider as the matches unfold.
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Whatever they are, those driving forces will take these matches between Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, between Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla, between Braga and Shakhtar Donetsk, between Villarreal and Sparta Prague and turn then into something more. They'll be stories, sagas, something beyond simply being what's happening on the pitch. And that makes it all well worth watching.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool: The Klopp Derby
For the first time since 2008, Jurgen Klopp enters the Westfalenstadion as the manager of the opposing team. Klopp became a legend at Dortmund in his years there, twice winning the Bundesliga and turning them into a perennial power in Germany. Now he’s in charge of Liverpool hoping to do the same to them, with the Europa League forcing a bittersweet reunion with a berth in the semifinals on the line.
It's going to be telling to see which team can take the most from the potential motivation. Will Dortmund take down their one-time mentor, or will Liverpool rise to the occasion and show why Klopp moved on? A win over Dortmund would be a huge statement as to Liverpool's progress since Klopp took over this season, but Dortmund need to win this tie just as badly to prove that they can play with anyone around.
Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla: Can they re-repeat?
Sevilla have won the Europa League twice in a row and the pressure is on for them to make it three in a row. Of course, they’re only in a position to win it again because they dropped out of the Champions League, and their league campaign has been full of struggles as well. Still, they’ve looked excellent since getting back to the Europa League, and they’ll be hoping to beat Spanish rivals Athletic Bilbao on their way to another final.
It will be a real battle to do so, though -- they’re neck and neck in the La Liga table because of how even they’ve been this season, and Sevilla haven’t won in Bilbao since 2009. A win in this first leg of the tie wouldn’t just give them a leg up in winning it -- it would prove that Sevilla have what it takes to beat anyone, anywhere, which is exactly what they need right now as they chase that third straight Europa League title.
Sporting Braga vs. Shakhtar Donetsk: Do Donetsk still have it?
For more than half a decade, Shakhtar Donetsk have been a constantly involved team on the European scene. Making frequent Champions League appearances and establishing themselves as a team to be reckoned with, it seemed like Shakhtar would be around for years to come as a constant factor.
That changed this year, though -- for a wide variety of reasons, some financial, some for off-the-pitch reasons, Shakhtar are a much weaker side now than they used to be, and it’s shown in Europe. They won just one match in their Champions League group, and while they won by comfortable margins in the last two rounds of Europa League action, they’ve still just looked like a shell of what they were. While Braga aren’t the strongest team left in the competition, they’re not going to be a pushover -- Shakhtar are in for a fight, and if they want to prove that they still belong on this scene, they’ll need to bring their best.
Villarreal vs. Sparta Prague: An underdog’s tale
When Villarreal got drawn against their Czech opponents, they had to be feeling good about their luck. After all, Sparta Prague are, on paper, the weakest of the teams left in the Europa League, and with the Spaniards riding some positive momentum, why shouldn’t they beat Sparta with ease?
Trouble is, what’s true on paper might not be so true in reality. Sparta have quietly gone undefeated in the Europa League this season, from the group stage through the last knockout round. They dominated Lazio, they kicked the stuffing out of Krasnodar, they handled a regular Champions League side in APOEL with ease, and they went unbeaten against Schalke. That’s not an easy task, and if Villarreal don’t take Sparta seriously, this great underdog could find themselves shocking everyone who watches one more time.
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