[ad_1]
Follow the UEFA Europa League's last 16 games live, as Premier League teams Arsenal and Chelsea learn about their European destiny.
Arsenal have recovered from the 1-0 defeat to BATE Borisov in Belarus last week, win 3-0 in the UAE to reach the next round. Meanwhile, Chelsea has overtaken Malmo, hitting Sweden 5-1 on aggregate.
With Arsenal and Chelsea in the top four in the Premier League, both teams hope to win the Europa League final in Azerbaijan to qualify for the most lucrative Champions League next season.
Join Independent spirits
For exclusive items, events and an ad-free reading for only
£ 5.99
$ 6.99
$ 9.99
a month
Get the best of L & # 39; Independent
With an Independent Minds subscription for only
£ 5.99
$ 6.99
$ 9.99
a month
Get the best of L & # 39; Independent
Without ads – for just
£ 5.99
$ 6.99
$ 9.99
a month
But it will not be easy: Benfica, Dinamo Zagreb, Dynamo Kyiv, Frankfurt, Inter Milan, Krasnodar, Naples, Rennes, Salzburg, Sevilla, Slavia Prague, Valencia, Villarreal and Zenit are the other teams in the running. Follow the live coverage of the draw below.
Of course, Inter Milan is one of the biggest teams still in the running.
Inter Milan, however, has experienced a tragedy at the height of Arsenal and Chelsea this season, with Radja Nainggolan suspended around the holiday season.
That was before striker Mauro Icardi was stripped of captaincy, since which Argentine has not played for the Inter.
However, manager Luciano Spalletti would not be determined whether his team would be better off without the 26-year-old after his 4-0 victory against Rapid Vienna last night.
"We are improving and making less stupid mistakes than before, but it is not right to relate this to something else that has happened during its period" said Spalletti.
"We should look at this from the good point of view, that the team is working hard and making fewer mistakes."
A man who knows a thing or two about scoring in a Europa League final.
Ivanovic scored in added time to give Chelsea the trophy six years ago in Amsterdam with a 2-1 win against Benfica.
The most amusing match of the 32nd finals is probably the one between Real Betis and Stade de Rennes.
After a 3-3 first-leg match in France, the second leg saw the French team win a remarkable 3-1 victory in Sevilla to win 6-4 overall, and this man was excellent in both. matches.
Arsenal and Chelsea will probably need more consistent performances to head into the final stages of the competition, but check out our player ratings at Emirates and Stamford Bridge last night.
Imagine the atmosphere at the Gazprom Arena for the last 16 …
It should be noted that there is no seeding or protection of the country from the last 16 games. So there could be another clash between rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
However, a special dispensation has been granted to teams from Russia and Ukraine, which can not be drawn against each other as agreed by the UEFA Executive Committee.
The other topic of discussion of the Europa League last night was the return of Mesut Ozil in the Arsenal team during the 3-0 (3-1) win of the Gunners on BATE Borisov.
The former German international was no longer part of the Unai Emery team since the end of January, but he is one of Ozil's teammates who urged the manager to give him a more regular trajectory.
Reminder of the key dates of the Europa League calendar for the rest of the season:
March 7th – 16th final match
March 14 – Return match of the sixteen final
March 15 – Europa League quarterfinal and semi-final draw
April 11 – First round of quarter-final
April 18 – quarter-final return leg
May 2nd – Semi-final go
May 9 – Semifinal return
May 29 – Final at the Olympic Stadium Baku, Azerbaijan
Callum Hudson-Odoi's performance against Malmo last night was one of the topics for discussion before and after Chelsea's 3-0 (5-1) win over the Swedes at Stamford Bridge.
However, Maurizio Sarri said that he should sell another winger to the 18-year-old in order to appear more regularly, a policy that the Italian considers dangerous.
However, the ban imposed on the Blues by FIFA this morning for two years adds an additional complication to the future of the young hope, which was the subject of offers from Bayern Munich in January.
Arsenal and Chelsea remain the only British interests remaining in the Europa League this season.
Here are the 16 teams that will be drawn at 12 noon today:
Arsenal
Benfica
Chelsea
Dinamo Zagreb
Dynamo Kiev
Eintracht Frankfurt
Inter Milan
Krasnodar
Napoli
Rennes
Salzburg
Sevilla
Slavia Prague
Valencia
Villarreal
Zenit
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the draw for the last 16 meetings of the Europa League.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.
Stay up to date with all the latest news with expert commentary and badysis from our award-winning writers
Source link