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Manchester United To Face Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce In New-Look Europa League

admin — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 13:58:47 +0000

Manchester United will travel to Turkish giants Fenerbahce, now coached by Jose Mourinho, among their eight games in the league phase of the new-look Europa League, the draw for which took place in Monaco on Friday. The Old Trafford club won the Europa League with Mourinho as coach in 2017. He recently became coach of Fenerbahce, who were knocked out of the Champions League in the third qualifying round. United will also notably play at home to 2022 Europa League runners-up Rangers and go to Portugal to play Porto, another of Mourinho’s old sides.

Tottenham Hotspur, the other English representative in the competition, will also take on Rangers, in their case away from home.

In addition, Ange Postecoglou’s side will play at home to Roma and go to Istanbul to face Turkish champions Galatasaray.

The format of the Europa League has changed for this season, along the same lines of the new-look Champions League.

The number of clubs in the competition proper is now 36, all of whom are placed into one league but split into four pots of seeds.

Each participant plays eight games, facing two clubs from each pot, one at home and one away.

For Rangers, other opponents will include Lyon at home, Olympiakos away, and Nice away in France.

Other clubs involved in the competition include former European champions in Ajax as well as FCSB of Romania, who won the 1986 European Cup as Steaua Bucharest.

Eintracht Frankfurt, who beat Rangers in the final two years ago, are present along with Athletic Bilbao, whose stadium will host this season’s final.

The top eight at the end of the league phase — which runs until the end of January — will advance to the last 16, while the teams finishing from ninth to 24th will advance to a play-off round to decide the remaining last-16 spots.

The bottom 12 in the league phase will be eliminated, with no clubs dropping down into the Conference League ahead of the knockouts, and no teams parachuting down from the Champions League as in the past.

UEFA have said that dates for all fixtures will be announced on Saturday. The first group games will be played on September 25 and 26, a week after the opening matchday of the Champions League.

This season’s Europa League final will be played in Bilbao on May 21 next year. Atalanta won the trophy last season, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the final in Dublin.

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Sporting Lisbon Win Portuguese League After Benfica Stumble

admin — Mon, 06 May 2024 03:56:31 +0000

Sporting Lisbon were crowned champions of Portugal for only the second time in 21 years on Sunday after second-placed Benfica lost. Last season’s victors stumbled 2-0 at Famalicao to complete Sporting’s triumph after Ruben Amorim‘s triumphant side thrashed Portimonense 3-0 on Saturday. Sporting, the division’s top scorers by far with 92 goals in 32 matches, are eight points clear of Benfica with just two games remaining. Amorim‘s side have lost just two times this season on the way to securing the club’s 20th league title, trailing Porto on 30 and record winners Benfica on 38.

Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres’ goals have powered Sporting’s title success and he netted his 27th of the campaign on Saturday to wrap up their victory.

The striker signed from Coventry City last summer for a club record fee of 20 million euros ($21.5 million) plus add-ons.

It is the second league trophy brought to the club by former Benfica player Amorim, who led Sporting to glory in the 2020/21 season.

Sporting will face Porto in the Portuguese Cup final on May 26, aiming to secure a double.

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Mikel Arteta Says Arsenal ‘Dreaming’ Of Champions League Win At Wembley

admin — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 05:18:03 +0000

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta© AFP

Mikel Arteta said the dream of Arsenal winning the club’s first ever Champions League at Wembley is in his players’ minds as they make a long-awaited return to the knockout stages at Porto on Wednesday. The Gunners have not reached the last 16 of the Champions League for seven years and last made it to the quarter-finals back in 2010. However, they are in supreme form having smashed 21 goals in five Premier League wins since returning from a two-week winter break last month. And there is the extra carrot for Champions League success this season with the final taking place in their home city of London at Wembley. “It would be incredible to have that feeling to lift that cup in London on the 1st of June,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference in northern Portugal.

“It’s there, it’s in our minds, and it’s a dream but it’s a lot of things that you have to earn the right before that, and tomorrow we’re going to have a big obstacle ahead of us.”

Arteta’s squad is short on Champions League experience, but the Spaniard said they have the belief that they can mix it with Europe’s best.

“It’s great we have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been at this table for this kind of match and 14 years since we’ve been able to go to the next stage,” added Arteta.

“That’s the challenge, that’s what is ahead of us and we are really excited to face it, and to go for it with full belief.

“It’s true we don’t have the experience, that’s the reality â 95 percent of the players have not played in this competition (before this season).

“They have never played in the last 16, I haven’t (as a coach), but we have so much enthusiasm and energy as well, and willingness with a point to prove that we are good enough and want to be there.

“That’s our desire and the passion with which we’re going to play the game tomorrow.”

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