RSSEuropa League Related Content
Radamel Falcao scores twice to lead Atletico Madrid to the Europa League title
Falcao scored twice and Diego scored another as Atletico Madrid won the Europa League by trouncing Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the all-Spanish final in front of over 52,000 fans at the National Arena in Bucharest on Wednesday.Falcao's first goal arrived as early as in the 7th minute, and he doubled Atletico's lead in the 34th minute. Brazilian playmaker Diego sealed the win five minutes from full-time.
Atletico proved far superior to their opponents, with a comprehensive display, as they captured their second title in three seasons, after having beaten Fulham 2-1 in the final of the 2009-10 Europa League.
Falcao, who was the clear man-of-the-match, won consecutive trophies with two different clubs, as it was his winning goal that gave FC Porto the title against Sporting Braga last year.
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Match Preview
Team News
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone will be able to count with a close-to full-strength side to confront the final, as Colombian defender Luis Perea and captain Antonio Lopez have recovered from injury just in time for the game. However, Portuguese defender Tiago will miss the game due to suspension, while his compatriot Silvio has been ruled out until next season. Another player who won't feature is Fran Merida, who is cup-tied.
Like his counterpart, Marcelo Bielsa faces few significant absences, as while Xabier Castillo and Aitor Ocio had been discarded due to injury a while ago, Fernando Amorebieta faces a late fitness test and is expected to make his return. Strikers Iker Muniain and Fernando Llorente were rested for the weekend’s goalless draw with Getafe, and will reinforce the side.
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao: Five points to consider ahead of the Europa League final
1) An all-Spanish affair
Most people expected an all-Spanish affair final on the European stage this season, but few would have predicted it to come in the form of the Europa League final between Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.
Due to the fact that Barcelona and Real Madrid appeared to be almost unstoppable with their exploits throughout the season, and with the way things were spanning out everyone and everything pointed to a Champions League final between the Spanish powerhouses.
"We have to be faithful to the soccer which has brought us here" - Athletic midfielder Herrera
Ander Herrera feels that in order for Athletic Bilbao to defeat Atletico Madrid in the final of the Europa League, it will be vital to approach the game with the same style which they use during all of their games.Marcelo Bielsa's side have surprised many en route to the final due to their entertaining and effective soccer, and are expected to confront the title decider by utilising the same strategies as always.
Since arriving at Athletic at the beginning of the season Bielsa has got his team playing dynamic, combative attacking soccer, and many have questioned whether he will employ those strategies for the final.
"The players are the ones that play, Bielsa and I are on the outside" - Atletico coach Simeone
Diego Simeone recognized that although Marcelo Bielsa is an important figure for Athletic Bilbao, it will be the players who decide the outcome of the final of the Europa League on Wednesday."The players are the ones that play and we are only on the outside. Like I have always said, I have great admiration for Bielsa, and great memories. He is a great professional," Simeone declared to the press.
The Argentine coach, who lifted the UEFA Cup as a player with Inter Milan, is conscious that in order to win matches of this nature, experience is very important, because the players who are more accustomed to fighting for big things know how to deal with the added pressure and the nervousness better than those who lack experience.
Atletic Bilbao And Sporting Will Battle For A Spot In Bucharest
In just a matter of 48 hours European Football has been turned on its head, so what can we expect tonight from the remaining Europa League matches? Can Atletic make the final an all Spanish affair, or will Sporting ruin the party?
In the aftermath of Barca and Madrid’s UCL exit: Spanish football and El Clasico
Total disillusion for Spanish club football?
Between Atletico Madrid and Valencia, one team will advance to meet Sporting Lisbon or Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final. For the sake of Spanish football from a patriotic Spaniard’s point of view, it is believed that the pressure is on Bilbao to assure that the cup will go to Spain whatever happens in Bucharest on May 9.
As things stand, Sporting Lisbon are in a good position to leave Portugal’s Iberian neighbours empty handed in Europe this year. Going into Thursday night’s encounter in San Mames, the Lions lead 2-1 from their first-leg win against Copa del Rey finalists Athletic Bilbao.
Do Valencia have what it takes to overcome two-goal deficit to reach Europa League final?
Is the final still within Valencia's reach?
Following their 4-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon last week, Valencia will have to be at their very best to overturn the two-goal deficit, but while it appears to be a difficult task it is certainly doable. The two away goals Valencia grabbed...
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia: Five reasons why Los Colchoneros will triumph
1. The roar of the Tiger!
When Radamel Falcao Garcia was snapped up from FC Porto last season to be the replacement of not only Diego Forlan but also of Sergio Aguero, much pressure evidently weighed on his shoulders, but the Colombian international found little difficulty adapting to the Spanish game and to Atletico and his purchase can now be considered perhaps the club's best since that of Aguero. Falcao has been in superb form in La Liga this season, with 22 goals to his name, and he has also left his mark on Europe, with 8 goals in the Europa League, including two goals in the quarter-finals against Hannover 96.
Europa League: Big Thursday night with Atletico vs Valencia and Sporting v Bilbao
Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sporting Lisbon and Athletic Bilbao share the same ambition. There are arguably no favourites.
An all-Spanish affair in the Europa League final is in prospect but Portugal’s Sporting are plotting to destroy it. It is a 3 versus 1 situation for the Lisbon-based side in the competition as the Last 4 stage is dominated by Spanish oppositions.
Having ousted English billionaires Manchester City on their road to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, the Sporting have a reason to feel confident. Under coach Ricardo Sa Pinto, Sporting look strong – both in the head and on the pitch.
Can Sá Pinto lead Sporting one step closer to the promised land?
The regime had always maintained it was their aim to be able to compete with FC Porto and Benfica for Portugal’s top honours, and match the feats of their domestic rivals on the European stage. After a shaky opening few weeks things began to fall into place. Fans flocked to the Alvalade in numbers rarely seen in recent seasons, as a string of impressive victories was put together.
Then things started to go wrong. Horribly wrong. The zest with which the team had been playing in October and November suddenly evaporated, and like a balloon slowly losing air, the whole atmosphere around the club began to deflate inexorably.
Sporting vs Athletic Bilbao: Iberian challenge once again in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals
Last season, there were four Iberian teams in the semi-finals, and the final was totally Portuguese. This season, Spanish sides will certainly try to achieve the same goal. Sporting’s mission is to prevent this historic achievement from happening.To fulfill the task, Sporting has to maintain their winning strike. In fact, since Ricardo Sá Pinto took charge of the team in mid-February, Sporting have recorded eight victories in a row. They have managed to score 13 goals and concede only one, a penalty in the last home match against FC Metalist Kharkhiv.
Live soccer TV schedule info on mega week with European semis & El Clasico
UEFA Champions League semis on April 17 and April 18, 2012
The stage in midweek belongs to Europe’s best teams. In the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich will battle for tickets to the Grand Finale on May 19.
At the Allianz Arena in Munich, German contenders Bayern will host La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Both teams have not conquered Europe during the last 10 years. This season presents a chance for them to try their luck again.
In 2010, Bayern Munich came second-best behind Internazionale, then coached by Jose Mourinho. The latter has given his team the edge over Bayern ahead of this crucial UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.
Atletico Madrid boss Simeone expects a "tough" Europa League semi-final against Valencia
Diego Simeone expects his side to be in for an extremely difficult contest when they battle with Valencia in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.Simeone is well aware of the threat posed by opponents Valencia but believes his team can obtain the desired result if they manage to maintain their concentration throughout the entire ninety minutes.
"It will be a tough match, we have to play serious and to win the game in the best possible manner," said Simeone.
The Argentine praised both sides by stating: "They are two teams that give their all almost always and they know exactly what they are playing for."
Sportsnet Secures Canadian Broadcast Rights for UEFA Europa League
TORONTO, ON (April 16, 2012) – Sportsnet announced today it has secured the Canadian multimedia rights to UEFA Europa League for the next three seasons, solidifying Sportsnet as Canada’s home to the world’s most prestigious soccer events. The new agreement includes 205 UEFA Europa Cup (formerly called UEFA Cup) matches each season, which will be delivered to Canadians on a suite of multimedia rights – television, online and mobile. Additionally, through Sportsnet’s agreement with TVA Sports, the deal also includes expanded French-language coverage across the same platforms with a minimum of 15 matches to be broadcast on TVA Sports per season.
Europa League: Can Hannover and Schalke overturn their first leg deficits to win their respective ties?
Athletic Bilbao – Schalke
Schalke’s problems at the back are no secret to any casual observer of the Bundesliga. Amongst the top four sides in the league, Schalke has conceded the largest number of goals. It is their potency at the other end which has helped them escape many a time in matches. Against Bilbao in the first leg, Schalke was...
Europa League: Bilbao, Valencia and Atletico hold Spain's pride under the spotlight
It’s interesting to know that 3 of the 8 contenders left are from Spain. The country (which produced the continent and the world’s reigning champions at international level) struts its pride again. In the Europa League, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and 2009/10 winners Atletico Madrid have proven critics wrong.
The Spanish Primera Division might long remain a two-member affair between Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title but this doesn’t necessarily mean – as many suggest – that the league’s standard is low due to lack of competitiveness. Whatever the truth is, Atletico, Valencia and Bilbao are still in Europe whereas English giants Manchester United and Manchester City are no more.
Sporting Lisbon vs Metalist: What are both teams' Europa League chances?
The venue is the Estádio de Alvalade XXI. We’re entering the final stages of this important competition. Teams are very similar and could give us balanced and tough matches.After the quarter-finals draw, Sporting Clube de Portugal seem to have reasons to be optimistic about. Sporting are apparently stronger with a higher ranking position but nothing can be taken for granted. Manchester City are bigger on paper than Sporting Lisbon but results in the Last 16 told otherwise.
Metalist comes to Lisbon to once again try to beat the odds as they did against Olympiacos in the previous round.
A mouth watering contest awaits us in the Europa League between Schalke and Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao isn’t having the best of league campaigns. They currently sit eleventh in La Liga. Their fans perhaps expect a better finish in the league than eleventh spot considering the attacking riches that are available to them. In the Europa League, Bilbao has been nothing short of brilliant; Sir Alex Ferguson can tell you just how devastating this Bilbao side can be when their attack truly ticks.Schalke is having one of their best ever seasons in recent memory. Schalke in the 2010 season finished second in the Bundesliga and reached the semifinals of the German Cup. They then won the DFB Pokal and reached the Champions League semifinals in 2011. Manuel Neuer then transferred out of the club; however, his transfer had very little impact on Schalke.
2011/12 Champions League & Europa League quarter-finals draw: Full fixtures
Football fans are anxiously waiting for the calendar to hit March 27. This is when the first leg of the first two UEFA Champions League quarter-finals matches will take place. In Cyprus, underdogs APOEL will host pre-tournament favourites Real Madrid.
Simultaneously, Benfica and Chelsea will lock horns in Portugal. The Blues will be confident of progressing into the semis following their miraculous comeback in the Round of 16 against Napoli. Likewise, Benfica will be fired up to go further in the Champions League as the only Portuguese team remaining.