Arsenal will face Sporting and will most likely pass to the next stage. Union and Leverkusen are favourites too.
Hardest match in this draw is Roma - Sociedad then Juventus - Freiburg then ManU - Betis. The first too are unpredictable and we might see Roma and Juve leaving both or one of them. ManU is better than Betis for sure but Betis is a good team and might resist a bit.
Topic: UEFA Europa League 2022/23 Season - page 243. (Read 49231 times)
Manchester United maintained their great look in their home games. This time they did the same against Barcelona and this win brought the next round in the Europa League as well.
Even though Barcelona got ahead first it didn't change anything for Manchester United's plans. They still made a comeback and won the game by 2-1. Barcelona's priority is the La Liga title of course but the Europa League must have been also important. Now one of the biggest favourites is gone here. Let's see how far Manchester United will go. Actually they are one of the deadliest teams right now and they can go on until the finale.
Even though Barcelona got ahead first it didn't change anything for Manchester United's plans. They still made a comeback and won the game by 2-1. Barcelona's priority is the La Liga title of course but the Europa League must have been also important. Now one of the biggest favourites is gone here. Let's see how far Manchester United will go. Actually they are one of the deadliest teams right now and they can go on until the finale.
It seems to me that after last year's failures in the Champions League and Europa League and the failure in the Champions League this year, Barcelona's priorities regarding the Europa League have been quite high. By the way, this is also a financial issue - winning even the second most important competition would give a tangible addition to the club's scarce budget. But Barcelona were once again eliminated early on (they didn't even technically make it into the tournament as they were transitional games).
Eric Hag has shown that he is better off than Xavi through the way his boys took over the match in old Trafford and played Barcelona as if they were babies. Barcelona is the giant of Spain and they are topping their local league but Manchester united is third in EPL and we saw the difference between these two clubs performance yesterday.
I have seen that there is hope for Manchester united at the end of the tunnel, they might be the one to win the league,because I don't see any club that is as strong as them in the league. Barcelona was their rival but they have been gotten rid off. Arsenal will not be able to defeat Manchester united if they clash.
I have seen that there is hope for Manchester united at the end of the tunnel, they might be the one to win the league,because I don't see any club that is as strong as them in the league. Barcelona was their rival but they have been gotten rid off. Arsenal will not be able to defeat Manchester united if they clash.
I kinda agreed with most of the things you've written but then, the comparison between Xavi Hernandez and Erik Ten Hag is completely pointless. Honestly, I feel like there's no reason for the comparison. Barcelona at some point outplayed Manchester United in midfied yesterday. After the game yesterday night, unnecessary comments of Erik Ten Hag been a better tactician than Pep Guardiola got me paranoid honestly I was not happy seeing such though all I could do was to ignore.
Xavi Hernandez needs better players they are going to be watched when the transfer window finally opens. The FF rules should not affect them, asides that they will attract quality players.
I think the current biggest favourites for the Europa League title are Arsenal and Manchester United. After seeing how Manchester United performed against Barcelona I think they have increased their chance to make it to the title as well. They are performing completely different in Old Trafford really. Even though Barcelona got ahead first Manchester United still made an incredible comeback. This comeback reminded me of the one they did against Manchester City in the EPL.
Anyway we might even see a finale between these English teams and it would be pretty interesting one.
Anyway we might even see a finale between these English teams and it would be pretty interesting one.
Di Maria's first goal is really fabulous! even coach Allegri was amazed by how he cheered... and you are absolutely right, Nantes could have had a small chance of being able to play for the next round but after the expulsion the situation degenerated for them, it ended 3-0 but it could have been a much greater achievement! Juventus attacked a lot and even hit a post
Di Maria is 35 years old and scores 3 goals, so you can talk about something very special. Juventus starting line-up was defensive with only one player as a striker. Moise Kean must have felt alone until he was substituted in the 64th minute. Vlahovic prepared the 3-0, it was a good substituted by Allegri. Nantes got a red card in minute 18, the game was decided then. It's good that Juventus still in the Europa League, Thea playing against Freiburg in the next round. Di Maria is one of my favorite names lately. I think 1-2 players become stars again every year in this way, even though they are older, they can perform much better than young players.
Juventus are in good shape right now and I think they will go to the next round. They have a style of play that can beat their opponents, I think they can stay in the game for a long time as long as they manage not to concede a goal
We have to admit that Ten Hague outplayed Xavi almost completely. Manchester was collected, motivated, played to the best of their abilities, which cannot be said about Barça. Barcelona players were as if "jammed" inside, they made mistakes in their passes, which was not noticed before, they made unaccustomed number of mistakes. In general, we can say the coaching victory of Ten Hag, who was able to form a working team of star players, where everyone plays the way he is required to, without tantrums and whimsy.
Xavi was not lucky with the composition, because the game was not the optimal squad, but chances to win anyway, even after the return goal Manchester, but unfortunately Xavi was unable to strengthen the team game substitutes and as a result, a logical defeat.
The opportunity they got could not be maintained, that was one of the factors they had to run aground again in the last 16 play-offs of the Europa league. Between Xavi and Erik Ten Hag they are the two best coaches and I will not blame Xavi for Barcelona's defeat in this second leg. indeed Barcelona did not go down with the perfect squad in the second leg because some of their core players were injured.Xavi was not lucky with the composition, because the game was not the optimal squad, but chances to win anyway, even after the return goal Manchester, but unfortunately Xavi was unable to strengthen the team game substitutes and as a result, a logical defeat.
this success made the red devils qualify for the last 16 and will wait for the draw for the next opponent. Juventus also did quite well by managing to beat nantes 3-0.
I have seen that there is hope for Manchester united at the end of the tunnel, they might be the one to win the league,because I don't see any club that is as strong as them in the league. Barcelona was their rival but they have been gotten rid off. Arsenal will not be able to defeat Manchester united if they clash.
Roma, who previously lost in the first leg, were finally able to turn things around on aggregate with a 2-0 win over opponents Salzburg at the Olimpico stadium. In fact, I even thought that there would be difficulties in this match, considering that on average they always score 1 goal in every game. But indeed Roma's mentality as one of Europe's big clubs is not in doubt and this result has made Mourinho's squad even more excited to win in the next game.
Something I have learnt this season is that when a team make its home a fortress, it improves your game and motivates you to win game played at home. I think if Mourinho and his Roma team can do this, it will certainly improve their game and increase the number of wins they will get when they play at home which will be a plus to the team’s overall performance. 
This is the Europa League last-16 draw in full.
Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Juventus v Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Sporting Lisbon v Arsenal
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Arsenal and Manchester United will definitely progress to the next round of the competition. I don’t see Real Betis and Sporting Lisbon causing them much trouble. They’re currently in form and can beat any opponent that comes their way in Europe at the moment.
The two clubs from England are among the clubs in the world that are in the hottest form which means they have every liklihood to progress to the next stage. Betis cannot stop Manchester United and also Lisbon cannot stop Arsenal. Then Sevilla of Spain will.do well because they have Europa experience. Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Juventus v Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Sporting Lisbon v Arsenal
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Arsenal and Manchester United will definitely progress to the next round of the competition. I don’t see Real Betis and Sporting Lisbon causing them much trouble. They’re currently in form and can beat any opponent that comes their way in Europe at the moment.
~snip~
Whether it is his last year, I don't know. I think he can still be a valuable joker at any time during the game. Why not extend his contract and bring him for 20 minutes? His skill is great and he loves to assist perfectly. He enjoys goals of others as much as if he scored himself. He definitely deserves to be around for a little longer than just this season.
It's not bad, I think seeing his ability against Nates on a contract extension is enough to help Juventus out of the middle zone. He danced past several players and made three goals. It was amazing for that first goal it was really good. Next up their opponent is Freiburg. Freiburg is not bad, in the Bundesliga they performed well and are in the top four. Of course, he still hopes for Di Maria's miracle to win and advance to the next round. At least this is the hope of having one trophy, because this season's League champions are already very difficult after Juventus got a points deduction penalty. Whether it is his last year, I don't know. I think he can still be a valuable joker at any time during the game. Why not extend his contract and bring him for 20 minutes? His skill is great and he loves to assist perfectly. He enjoys goals of others as much as if he scored himself. He definitely deserves to be around for a little longer than just this season.
Barcelona clearly had problems with squad depth against Manchester United, and looked very different compared to the first leg.
The defeat was logical because Barcelona lacked the players who should have been on the pitch due to injury or suspension, and it meant Barcelona had to return to the same fate as last season in the Europa League.
It doesn't matter, but disappointment is always there among the fans, but Barcelona have ensured that it was a tough win for Manchester United. Maybe it would have been terrible if Manchester United lost, but they won that match at home, fortunately.
The defeat was logical because Barcelona lacked the players who should have been on the pitch due to injury or suspension, and it meant Barcelona had to return to the same fate as last season in the Europa League.
It doesn't matter, but disappointment is always there among the fans, but Barcelona have ensured that it was a tough win for Manchester United. Maybe it would have been terrible if Manchester United lost, but they won that match at home, fortunately.
Barcelona didn’t seem to be as composed and collected as they were during the first leg of the game. And I think that had it not been four the penalty kick taken by Lewandoski, Barcelona would most likely have come out of the game without a goal.
I think Barcelona still had the right players on the pitch despite losing some to injuries and the likes. They still had capable players that could have won the game. But Ten Hag boys were superb and came out victorious, winning the game in front of their home fans too. It was a great game for the Red Devils.
This is the Europa League last-16 draw in full.
Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Juventus v Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Sporting Lisbon v Arsenal
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Arsenal and Manchester United will definitely progress to the next round of the competition. I don’t see Real Betis and Sporting Lisbon causing them much trouble. They’re currently in form and can beat any opponent that comes their way in Europe at the moment.
Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Juventus v Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Sporting Lisbon v Arsenal
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Arsenal and Manchester United will definitely progress to the next round of the competition. I don’t see Real Betis and Sporting Lisbon causing them much trouble. They’re currently in form and can beat any opponent that comes their way in Europe at the moment.
I think the favorites at this stage are Juventus, Bayer, Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Sociedad. These teams are the leaders in their respective leagues and have a lot of experience playing in cups. I expect at least two of these teams to make it to the semifinals of the Europa League.
If I have to name the matches that will challenge each other, Arsenal-Sporting is the first one that catches my eye. Then maybe Fenerbahçe-Sevilla. Fenerbahce now want success in the European Cups. This time under Jorge Jesus it might be easier to achieve that. But the team needs some transfers for sure.
The Sociedad-Roma match could also be interesting. Both sides seem to be close to qualifying but of course I see Rome one step ahead.
The Sociedad-Roma match could also be interesting. Both sides seem to be close to qualifying but of course I see Rome one step ahead.
We have to admit that Ten Hague outplayed Xavi almost completely. Manchester was collected, motivated, played to the best of their abilities, which cannot be said about Barça. Barcelona players were as if "jammed" inside, they made mistakes in their passes, which was not noticed before, they made unaccustomed number of mistakes. In general, we can say the coaching victory of Ten Hag, who was able to form a working team of star players, where everyone plays the way he is required to, without tantrums and whimsy.
Xavi was not lucky with the composition, because the game was not the optimal squad, but chances to win anyway, even after the return goal Manchester, but unfortunately Xavi was unable to strengthen the team game substitutes and as a result, a logical defeat.
Barcelona clearly had problems with squad depth against Manchester United, and looked very different compared to the first leg.Xavi was not lucky with the composition, because the game was not the optimal squad, but chances to win anyway, even after the return goal Manchester, but unfortunately Xavi was unable to strengthen the team game substitutes and as a result, a logical defeat.
The defeat was logical because Barcelona lacked the players who should have been on the pitch due to injury or suspension, and it meant Barcelona had to return to the same fate as last season in the Europa League.
It doesn't matter, but disappointment is always there among the fans, but Barcelona have ensured that it was a tough win for Manchester United. Maybe it would have been terrible if Manchester United lost, but they won that match at home, fortunately.
We have to admit that Ten Hague outplayed Xavi almost completely. Manchester was collected, motivated, played to the best of their abilities, which cannot be said about Barça. Barcelona players were as if "jammed" inside, they made mistakes in their passes, which was not noticed before, they made unaccustomed number of mistakes. In general, we can say the coaching victory of Ten Hag, who was able to form a working team of star players, where everyone plays the way he is required to, without tantrums and whimsy.
Xavi was not lucky with the composition, because the game was not the optimal squad, but chances to win anyway, even after the return goal Manchester, but unfortunately Xavi was unable to strengthen the team game substitutes and as a result, a logical defeat.
The opportunity they got could not be maintained, that was one of the factors they had to run aground again in the last 16 play-offs of the Europa league. Between Xavi and Erik Ten Hag they are the two best coaches and I will not blame Xavi for Barcelona's defeat in this second leg. indeed Barcelona did not go down with the perfect squad in the second leg because some of their core players were injured.Xavi was not lucky with the composition, because the game was not the optimal squad, but chances to win anyway, even after the return goal Manchester, but unfortunately Xavi was unable to strengthen the team game substitutes and as a result, a logical defeat.
this success made the red devils qualify for the last 16 and will wait for the draw for the next opponent. Juventus also did quite well by managing to beat nantes 3-0.
Sometimes things like this sometimes make us confused about the results of matches that should be easy for the big teams to pass, but in fact they actually have another strategy to win the match in the next match and either Roma or Juventus are both really unexpectedly able to win easily in the second leg and this can be a good capital for both of them in the next round of the European league.
Juventus should have won the first leg, but they did in the second leg, and a red card for Pallua on 18 minutes helped them in this. Di Maria is a world champion, it changes the mindset and adds confidence, 35 years is not the limit for modern football. I liked the way Barcelona played in the second leg more, at some point I thought that everything could end badly for Manchester United that evening, but they still won. I still think that the teams are equal and both had the same chances to advance to the next round. 
Definitely you can’t underrate their respective opponents but it’s obvious that both Manchester United and Arsenal have the upper hand in these ties. They’re the firing all cylinders this season and it’s evident that Ten Hag and Mikel Arteta want to win this Europa league competition. No doubt Lisbon and Betis are also in form but they’re no match for Arsenal and Manchester United at the moment.
It is still a long way to go in this competition, but a final between Manchester United and Arsenal is very possible if we don't face a shocker or both teams begin to have internal problems. Coincidentally both teams are still in the battle to win the EPL which is more important to them and they have serious games until the end of the season. If the players do not get exhausted, if there are no injuries and both teams maintain their current form, we will see another game between Arsenal and Manchester United.There are still several other teams that also have the chance to play in the Europa League final like Juventus too but yes, Manchester United and Arsenal are also teams that have the chance to reach the Europa League final this season. But because Manchester United and Arsenal are also under a lot of pressure in the Premier League, their focus and that of their players might be in a bit of trouble.
Therefore, I say Juventus because Juventus can focus more on the European League, considering it is difficult for Juventus to be able to finish in the top four of Serie A. Therefore, if Juventus can win the European League title, then Juventus will get a Champions League ticket for Next season.
So, the title race in the Europa League on paper is very competitive, because there are many teams that have candidates to get it.
He had so much potential when he was playing at Manchester United and he is now 35 years old. This is probably his last season I do not know how long his contract is but he still has good skills but his stamina lets him down. I look at his career as a waste because he has played for some of the best teams in the world but his form has never been consistent but you see a little of what he is capable of every so often like recently. When he is at the top of his game I am confident to say he is one of the best players in the world but he goes from being one of the best to below average in a couple of months because of consistency.
I really liked seeing Di Maria in a Manchester United shirt. I think he is a very talented player. Although, age is starting to tell on him as he isn’t in form like the good old days. He had a lot of potential playing at Manchester United and I was a bit sad to see him go.
I don’t agree with you on his career being a waste. He has had a great and successful career. How many players today could boast of having played for the number of top tier clubs he has played for? I would still rate him as being among the best players today.
As it is, Arsenal and Manchester United are the strongest teams in the current Europa League setup. Both teams with the way they are playing this season are not Europa League teams but a mistake of last season. I know 100% both teams will be playing in the UCL next season regardless of their Europa league journey.
Of course they are in the best game at the moment. Their mentality is on the rise, so naturally they are favorites. But you have to remember Europe is very different, there are always many surprises. Real Betis may look set to be easy opponents. But they have an incredible spirit. Sporting are the same, they cannot be underestimated. I think Juventus, Union Berlin and Roma are also good. But they are slightly below Arsenal and Man United. 
Definitely you can’t underrate their respective opponents but it’s obvious that both Manchester United and Arsenal have the upper hand in these ties. They’re the firing all cylinders this season and it’s evident that Ten Hag and Mikel Arteta want to win this Europa league competition. No doubt Lisbon and Betis are also in form but they’re no match for Arsenal and Manchester United at the moment.
It is still a long way to go in this competition, but a final between Manchester United and Arsenal is very possible if we don't face a shocker or both teams begin to have internal problems. Coincidentally both teams are still in the battle to win the EPL which is more important to them and they have serious games until the end of the season. If the players do not get exhausted, if there are no injuries and both teams maintain their current form, we will see another game between Arsenal and Manchester United.
yes Di Maria made a truly noteworthy performance! the best since he has been at Juventus, his current form is amazing, even during the world cup you could see he was in good shape and he is still continuing! now Juventus will have to contend with Freiburg and in my opinion it's a game quite within Juventus' reach. can't make a mistake and lose access to the quarterfinals
He had so much potential when he was playing at Manchester United and he is now 35 years old. This is probably his last season I do not know how long his contract is but he still has good skills but his stamina lets him down. I look at his career as a waste because he has played for some of the best teams in the world but his form has never been consistent but you see a little of what he is capable of every so often like recently. When he is at the top of his game I am confident to say he is one of the best players in the world but he goes from being one of the best to below average in a couple of months because of consistency. Yes skill and stamina is still carrying him. Di Maria is a kind of player that everyone likes. He gives his very best, but he also never has negative attitudes when he is sitting on the bench. Almost every player is complaining at some point in their career, but Di Maria isn't. You send him onto the pitch and he just tries to solve problems for the team. I like that a lot!
Whether it is his last year, I don't know. I think he can still be a valuable joker at any time during the game. Why not extend his contract and bring him for 20 minutes? His skill is great and he loves to assist perfectly. He enjoys goals of others as much as if he scored himself. He definitely deserves to be around for a little longer than just this season.
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