Dinamo Kiev – Villarreal and Granada – Molde in the second round

Villarreal and Granada came out strong in the Europa League round of 16 matches after the draw in Nyon. Those of Emery will have to face each other with Dynamo Kiev, with the return at home, while Granada will do the same with Molde, in this case with the outcome in Norway. The great coconuts of the draw, the English teams, were avoided and one of them, Manchester United, will face Milan in what is undoubtedly the great pairing of this round.

Villarreal, who already got rid of Salzburg in the previous phase, will have to do the same with Dinamo Kiev, Barça's rival this same season in the Champions League. Mircea Lucescu's team is leader in the Ukrainian championship with a point of advantage over Shakhtar. After a time of anxiety, it has managed to be competitive in recent years and has been incorporating young people of a level such as Mykoleno, Popov, Tsyhankov or Supriaha. It comes from eliminating Brujas, another Champions team, in the previous round. The best thing for Villarreal is that the first leg will be in Kiev, with an audience, although the most inopportune will undoubtedly be the long journey there.

Granada, for its part, can be satisfied after crossing with El Molde. By name it is not a team to be afraid of, although it is true that it comes from eliminating German Hoffenheim in the previous round, winning the second leg in the German soil by 0-2. They were second last season in the Norwegian league and were second in the group in the Europa League this season behind Arsenal, with whom they lost both games. Winger Ulland-Andersen, the scorer against Hoffenheim, is one of their dangers, in addition to their Icelandic center forward Sigurdarsson.

The Europa League round of 16 matches will be played on March 11, the first leg, and on March 18, the second leg. Then there will be a draw on the 19th to determine the quarters. The final is scheduled for May 26 in Gdansk, Poland.

The complete pairings are:

GOING

Thursday March 11

18:55 Ajax (NED) – Young Boys (SUI)

18.55 Dinamo Kiev (UCR) – Villarreal (ESP)

18.55 Manchester United (ING) – Milan (ITA)

18.55 Slavia Prague (CZE) – Rangers (ESC)

21.00 Rome (ITA) – Shakhtar Donetsk (UCR)

21.00 Olympiacos (GRE) – Arsenal (ING)

21.00 Dinamo Zágreb (CRO) – Tottenham Hotspur (ING)

21.00 Granada (ESP) – Molde (NOR)

RETURN

Thursday March 18

18.55 Shakhtar Donetsk (UCR) – Rome (ITA)

18.55 Arsenal (ING) – Olympiacos (GRE)

18.55 Tottenham Hotspur (ING) – Dinamo (CRO)

18.55 Molde (NOR) – Granada (ESP)

21.00 Young Boys (SUI) – Ajax (NED)

21.00 Villarreal – Dinamo Kiev

21.00 Milan (ITA) – Manchester United (ING)

21.00 Rangers (ESC) – Slavia Prague (CZE). EFE