We now preview match-day one of the UEFA Europa League with from Group G to Group L. Watch out for a great night of European football with accustomed Champions League contenders Liverpool and FC Porto vying for a successful campaign.
Which One Is The Most Interesting – Group H, Group I, or Group J?
Group H is a section where three of the four teams drawn look potentially good enough to each shape the table its own way. You look at Getafe and Stuttgart and you are almost sure that these two sides aren’t just going to travel around Europe but fail on the pitch.
They’ll definitely make things tough as Group H favorites. Besides Getafe and Stuttgart’s threat, there is also BSC Young Boys. More luck would have seen them compete in this season’s UEFA Champions League competition at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately for the Swiss, they suffered a 6-3 aggregate defeat to Spurs despite holding a 3-2 advantage ahead of the second leg in the play-off.
Either way, losing 4-0 in harsh circumstances at White Hart Lane might have offered Young Boys much more experience and desire to correct their mistakes and improve in Europe. They have a good chance of surprising their opponents in Group H as Odense BK also aim to make a positive impact in the UEFA Europa League.
The Danish could revive the spirit of 1994-95 which saw them qualify past Round 1 in a European tournament for the first ever time as Real Madrid had to pay the price of a stunning Round 4 defeat. Let’s see what match-day one of the UEFA Europa League goes when Stuttgart lock horns with Young Boys while Getafe take on Odense BK.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to tell which of these three groups – Group H, I, and J – appear as the most dangerous and tight. Interestingly, Sampdoria and PSV Eindhoven have been paired together for a Italy vs Netherlands battle.
But Debreceni might not pose much threat to any of Group I’s competitors, having crashed out of last season’s UEFA Champions League group stages with no point and almost twenty goals conceded in six matches. Based on this statistic beside the fact that Metalist Kharkiv aren’t as good as Sampdoria and PSV historically, Group J seems tougher by quite a margin.
With Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and Sevilla all sectioned in one table, it looks like qualification for the next round will offer more thrill and drama than in Group H. How will Sevilla bounce back from their upset against Sporting Braga in the UEFA Champions League play-off when the Spanish host PSG? In Ukraine, meanwhile, will Dortmund slip against Karpaty on Thursday night?
Group G, Group K, Group L – Zenith, Liverpool, and FC Porto Inject Excitement
Zenith St. Petersburg, Liverpool, and FC Porto… these are three of a host of European teams that unluckily couldn’t make it into the 2010/2011 UEFA Champions League competition. So there they are in the UEFA Europa League with the same ambition of clinching the tournament.
A few years back, Russian side Zenith provided excitement to football’s public as they lifted the UEFA Cup title at the expense of Scotland’s Rangers. Maybe, their chances of repeating this feat aren’t as open as they were back then – with Anderlecht and AEK Athens both keen to surprise Auxerre’s Champions League play-off victims in Group G. For Liverpool, the situation looks different.
Although the club is struggling to restore itself, they are poised to top Group K and thus make it into the next round. However, the road may not be that easy as Steaua Bucuresti, Utrecht, and Napoli will try to explain why they also made it into the UEFA Europa League. But Porto FC might have to be one of the most prudent teams.
In the first place, they’ll need to resist the aggressive atmosphere of Turkish side Besiktas. It’s been long since Porto really impressed in Europe, so enjoy a great start in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League could be the key to more success. Thursday night’s clash at the Estadio do Dragao against Rapid Wien could see on-paper favorites Porto get off to a bright start in the tournament.
Group H is a section where three of the four teams drawn look potentially good enough to each shape the table its own way. You look at Getafe and Stuttgart and you are almost sure that these two sides aren’t just going to travel around Europe but fail on the pitch.
They’ll definitely make things tough as Group H favorites. Besides Getafe and Stuttgart’s threat, there is also BSC Young Boys. More luck would have seen them compete in this season’s UEFA Champions League competition at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately for the Swiss, they suffered a 6-3 aggregate defeat to Spurs despite holding a 3-2 advantage ahead of the second leg in the play-off.
Either way, losing 4-0 in harsh circumstances at White Hart Lane might have offered Young Boys much more experience and desire to correct their mistakes and improve in Europe. They have a good chance of surprising their opponents in Group H as Odense BK also aim to make a positive impact in the UEFA Europa League.
The Danish could revive the spirit of 1994-95 which saw them qualify past Round 1 in a European tournament for the first ever time as Real Madrid had to pay the price of a stunning Round 4 defeat. Let’s see what match-day one of the UEFA Europa League goes when Stuttgart lock horns with Young Boys while Getafe take on Odense BK.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to tell which of these three groups – Group H, I, and J – appear as the most dangerous and tight. Interestingly, Sampdoria and PSV Eindhoven have been paired together for a Italy vs Netherlands battle.
But Debreceni might not pose much threat to any of Group I’s competitors, having crashed out of last season’s UEFA Champions League group stages with no point and almost twenty goals conceded in six matches. Based on this statistic beside the fact that Metalist Kharkiv aren’t as good as Sampdoria and PSV historically, Group J seems tougher by quite a margin.
With Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and Sevilla all sectioned in one table, it looks like qualification for the next round will offer more thrill and drama than in Group H. How will Sevilla bounce back from their upset against Sporting Braga in the UEFA Champions League play-off when the Spanish host PSG? In Ukraine, meanwhile, will Dortmund slip against Karpaty on Thursday night?
Group G, Group K, Group L – Zenith, Liverpool, and FC Porto Inject Excitement
Zenith St. Petersburg, Liverpool, and FC Porto… these are three of a host of European teams that unluckily couldn’t make it into the 2010/2011 UEFA Champions League competition. So there they are in the UEFA Europa League with the same ambition of clinching the tournament.
A few years back, Russian side Zenith provided excitement to football’s public as they lifted the UEFA Cup title at the expense of Scotland’s Rangers. Maybe, their chances of repeating this feat aren’t as open as they were back then – with Anderlecht and AEK Athens both keen to surprise Auxerre’s Champions League play-off victims in Group G. For Liverpool, the situation looks different.
Although the club is struggling to restore itself, they are poised to top Group K and thus make it into the next round. However, the road may not be that easy as Steaua Bucuresti, Utrecht, and Napoli will try to explain why they also made it into the UEFA Europa League. But Porto FC might have to be one of the most prudent teams.
In the first place, they’ll need to resist the aggressive atmosphere of Turkish side Besiktas. It’s been long since Porto really impressed in Europe, so enjoy a great start in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League could be the key to more success. Thursday night’s clash at the Estadio do Dragao against Rapid Wien could see on-paper favorites Porto get off to a bright start in the tournament.
