Barça, Sevilla, Betis and Real Sociedad complete the Spanish representation at the crossroads of a Europa League of the highest level and prestige
MADRID, 3 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid confirmed its lead in Group F of the Champions League on Wednesday with a placid thrashing (5-1) over Celtic, so it will be in the pot for the first group in the round of 16 draw for this Monday, with the English Liverpool and the French PSG, as rivals to avoid, in addition to other dangerous teams.
Real Madrid needed to win on the last day of the group stage and they didn’t fail, after Leipzig, who finished second in the Madrid group, did the same against Shakthar. Carlo Ancelotti’s men completed a good first phase, with only one defeat, against the German team, four wins and one draw, within an affordable group.
The current champion will be the only Spanish representative in the draw next Monday, November 7 (12:00 p.m.), in Nyon (Switzerland). The bad year in Europe of national football benefits the dominance of the Premier League and the Bundesliga in the knockout rounds, with four representatives each. Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham did it as first, and Liverpool as second, while in German football, only Bayern could do it, with Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht as seconds, and only Bayer Leverkusen out of the crosses.
In addition, this edition has also meant the resurrection of Italian football, despite the debacle of Juventus. Thus, Milan will return to play a round of 16 that they had not reached since the 2013-2014 season, while Inter Milan, after beating FC Barcelona and Napoli in the ‘group of death’, will also be in the hype, although only Luciano Spalletti’s set as first.
Now, Real Madrid will have to confirm their status as a candidate for the title again in the first qualifying rounds. Upon finishing as the leader of his group, he will play the second leg of the tie at the Santiago Bernabéu and is already avoiding dangerous teams such as Manchester City and Bayern Munich, but among the latter there are several ‘coconuts’ on their way to the ‘Fifteenth ‘.
The toughest would be the French PSG, with the ex-Madridista Sergio Ramos and the threatening offensive trident that is at a high level formed by Neymar, Messi and Mbappé as the main weapon and with the morbidity of the duel against the French striker, who finally decided to stay and not go to the Madrid team. If it were to happen, the two teams would face each other for the second consecutive year in the same round, when Ancelotti’s men came from 1-0 down in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu by 3-1 and Karim Benzema’s hat-trick.
The Parisian team is showing a very good level, but fell to second place in their group at the last breath, after Benfica, whom they could not win in their two games, endorsed Maccabi Haifa 1-6 and overcome in a classification in which they were tied for almost everything.
The other great rival of pot 2 to avoid by the meringues will be Liverpool, in what would be the reissue of the last final and which is always a real stumbling block due to its status as ‘great’ in Europe, although at present it does not live its more regular moment, without Mané, and with its stars Van Dijk, Salah and Darwin Núñez, below the expected performance. Real Madrid also beat the ‘reds’ in the 2020-21 quarterfinals and in the 2017-18 final.
One step below would be Inter Milan, second in the FC Barcelona group. The Italians have proven to be a tough ‘bone’ supported by a good performance at home. The whites haven’t seen each other face to face with the ‘Nerazzurri’ in European qualifiers since 1981, and they already beat them in the two league games last year.
The whites’ rivals could also be the German Borussia Dortmund, whom they have already eliminated on the way to the ‘Décima’, the Italian Milan and, as theoretical ‘Cinderellas’, the Belgian Bruges, second classified in the Atlético de Madrid group; and the German Eintracht, whom they already defeated this summer in the Super Cup.
The first legs of the round of 16 of the maximum continental competition will be played on February 14, 15, 21 and 22 and the second legs, on March 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2023.
A EUROPEAN LEAGUE WITH A GREAT ‘CARTEL’ AND WITH A LOT OF SPANISH FOOTBALL
The pairings of one of the highest level Europa Leagues in recent years will also be decided in the draw next Monday. After a group stage of the Champions League with many surprises and ‘big’ fallen, teams like Sevilla, FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus, Lazio, PSV, Real Sociedad or Betis will aspire to the title.
The Catalan team, with one of the most ambitious projects, is now a serious candidate for this title after being third in a Champions group with Bayern and Inter. Also, from the Champions League, there will be a Sevilla that is going through a bad time, but whose track record with six Europa Leagues keeps it as a favorite. United or Roma -if they beat Ludogorets this Thursday- are the ‘bones’ for the two Spanish teams.
The Spanish representation is completed by Real Betis, already classified automatically for the round of 16 with the confirmed lead, and Real Sociedad, who will have to confirm their first place this Thursday against Manchester United, for which they need not to lose at the Reale Arena .