February 22nd 2024.
On Thursday night, the Europa League knockout round play-offs came to a close, leaving 16 teams eagerly awaiting their fate at the draw on Friday. Among those teams are three Premier League clubs - Liverpool, West Ham, and Brighton - who all secured top spot in their respective groups, as well as Rangers, Atalanta, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, and Bayer Leverkusen.
These eight teams will be the seeded teams in the draw, joined by the eight winners of the knockout round play-offs. In these play-offs, the eight teams that finished second in their Europa League groups faced off against the eight teams that finished third in their Champions League groups. While it may have been assumed that the Champions League teams would have the upper hand, it was actually the Europa League teams who came out on top in six out of the eight ties.
The remaining eight teams who have secured their spot in the last 16 will be unseeded in Friday's draw. These teams include Roma, AC Milan, SC Freiburg, Sporting, Benfica, Qarabag, Sparta Prague, and Marseille. Of these eight, only AC Milan and Benfica had previously dropped down from the Champions League.
Looking at the results of the play-off matches, it's clear that the competition is fierce and any team has the potential to come out on top. Aggregate scores were tight, with teams like Feyenoord and Roma finishing with a 2-2 draw, and AC Milan securing a 5-3 victory over Rennes. In the end, it was an exciting and unpredictable round, with no clear favorites emerging.
But when can we expect to see these teams take to the field again? The Europa League last 16 draw will take place on Friday 23 February at 11pm UK time in Nyon, Switzerland. The two-legged ties will then be played on 7 and 14 March, with the quarter-final draw happening on 15 March.
As we eagerly anticipate the draw and the upcoming matches, it's worth taking a look at the teams who have made it through to the last 16. The seeded teams include West Ham, Brighton, Rangers, Atalanta, Liverpool, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, and Bayer Leverkusen. On the other side, the unseeded teams are Roma, AC Milan, SC Freiburg, Sporting, Benfica, Qarabag, Sparta Prague, and Marseille. It's a diverse mix of clubs from across Europe, making for an exciting and competitive tournament.
In the midst of all this action, there are also speculations and predictions being made, such as Curtis Jones being a key player in Liverpool's upcoming match against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, according to football pundit Paul Merson. And with clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool showing interest in Pedro Neto, it's clear that the competition doesn't just end on the field, but also off it as clubs vie for top talent.
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