The 2022/23 Europa League knockout playoff draw was held at Nyon, Switzerland and the results did not disappoint at all. Considering the level of the teams that got knocked out from the group stages of the Champions League and legacy-driven clubs ending up as runners-up in the Europa League group stages, the draw was bound to be exciting.
Sevilla are back in the competition they are the undisputed winners in whereas Barcelona will once again participate in this round of the Europa League after getting knocked out of the Champions League group stages for the second year running. Italian giants Juventus will also be in the mix after failing to advance from their Champions League group containing Portuguese side Benfica and Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain.
FC Barcelona vs Manchester United
In the unmissable tie of the knockout playoffs, FC Barcelona will fight against Manchester United for a place in the last 16 stages of the Europa League. This competition has become synonymous for both sides in recent memories but the legacy for the duo is drafted in the Champions League undoubtedly. Barcelona, for the second consecutive season, failed to escape the group stages of the Champions League albeit with a much-strengthened squad this time, finishing third behind Inter and Bayern Munich. The Catalan outfit could only gather wins against the Czech champions Viktoria Plzen, losing both encounters with Bayern Munich and collecting only a point in the rest of the matches against Inter. Meanwhile, Manchester United could only finish second in their Europa League group with Real Sociedad, Sheriff and Omonia. The Red Devils lost to the La Liga outfit in the opening game, managing to beat them on their turf in the last group stage after winning against the rest but could not finish first because of goal difference. These two have met each other 10 times in Europe so far including in the 2008 and 2010 Champions League finals both of which Barcelona won. Manchester United also lost the last tie against the Blaugranas in the quarterfinals of the 2018/19 Champions League season. Both of them won that competition for a combined total of eight times.
Juventus vs FC Nantes
Juventus are in the Europa League for the first time since the 2013/14 season when they took part in the semi-final stages. The club has since managed eight straight seasons in the Champions League knockout phases including reaching the final in the 2014/15 and the 2016/15 campaigns. However, they have slipped off from the group stages of the competition this term in a group dominated by Benfica and PSG. The Old Lady of Turin could only manage three points from six matches losing both the games against the group’s top two and also a shock away loss to rock-bottom Maccabi Haifa. Juventus have played Nantes before in the two-legged 1996 Champions League semi-finals where they lost to the French side 3-2 away but turned things around in Italy winning 2-0 to advance to the final. Nantes will feel hard done by a tie of this magnitude although will take inspiration from their neck-and-neck battle with Qarabag for the playoff spots in the group stages. The Ligue 1 team ultimately sealed the place over the side from Azerbaijan with a 2-0 success against Olympiacos in the last group stage game.
Sporting CP vs FC Midtjylland
Primeira Liga side Sporting CP seem to have destiny in the last 16 of the Champions League written for them after thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt in the opening group stage game and then claiming all three points impressively against Tottenham Hotspurs at home. Then disastrous task as Ruben Amorin’s men lost the double headers against pointless Marseille next to put their qualification into jeopardy. While the 1-1 draw against Spurs away gave them a chance in the last group stage game, Sporting CP lost to Frankfurt at home even after taking the lead in the match to relegate themselves to the Europa League. In the knockout playoffs, they will take on a FC Midtjylland coming from their own fair share of dramas in the Europa League group stage. For the first time in European competition history, all of the sides in a single group were locked in the same number of points with the qualification only made possible by goal difference at the end. Midtjylland and Feyenoord started the journey in the group stages out of the qualification places with both advancing at the end ahead of the initial top two of Strum Graz and Lazio, who exited the contest in a major shock. Sporting CP have met Midtjylland once before in Europe, in the two-legged first round of qualification for the Europa League group stage which the Portuguese triumphed 6-2 on aggregate.
Shakhter Donetsk vs Stade Rennais
Shakhter Donetsk needed a win over RB Leipzig in the final group stage game of the Champions League to secure qualification in the knockouts with a better head-to-head record having won 4-1 in Germany in the opening group stage, their only win in the competition this season, which they fail to do so causing them to land in the knockout playoffs of the Europa League. Nicknamed the Miners, Shakhter will face Stade Rennais from France whom they faced during the group stages of this tournament in the 2004/05 season and won at their turf 1-0. Rennais finished second in their group behind Turkish leaders Fenerbache with a comfortable gap of seven points than the third-place holders AEK Larnaca. This is the second time they will face a Ukrainian side in the competition after their meeting with Dynamo Kyiv in the group stages. Shakhter are the only side left in Europe from the war-torn nation after their rivals in the Klasychne derby bow out of the competition with just a point on board.
Ajax vs Union Berlin
Alfred Schreuder’s Ajax felt the pressure of their past achievements in the Champions League and the heat of rubbing shoulders with Liverpool and a flamboyant Napoli team. The club based in Amsterdam lost both the ties against the top two sides in the group, getting hammered by the league leaders at home and only managing wins over a leaky Rangers team. Dropping down to the Europa League is now what they wish for but this is the path they have to take with uncertainty over their title defense in the Eredivise as well after losing an early title decider against Feyenoord this weekend. The 1992 winners now face an unknown threat in Union Berlin making their debut in the knockout stages of European football and also winning many hearts in Bundesliga. The club from Germany’s capital city even led the Bundesliga table for months before losing the place to Bayern Munich only last weekend and had to battle hard for the runners up spot in their group, securing the place in the final group stage game against table toppers Union Saint Gilloise. This will be a special occasion for the Die Eisernen as their dogged defense face the swashbuckling attack of Ajax.
Bayer Leverkusen vs AS Monaco
In an interesting tie, Bayer Leverkusen and AS Monaco battle for supremacy to book a place in the last 16 stages of the Europa League. This has been a season of doldrums for Xabi Alonso’s side as they face an unexpected relegation battle in a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign. In Europe too, they struggled at first before settling for third place in their Champions League group eliminating competition regulars Atletico Madrid as a process although leaving a six points gap with second-placed Brugge. The German club competed in the last 16 stages of the Europa League last season and will be wishing to advance there for the second consecutive season. Monaco will hope to be a thorn in their way although they had to juggle their way into the knockout playoffs in a group they were favorites to win facing eventual leaders Ferencvaros, Trabzonspor and Red Star Belgrade. It is with the Turkish club they got wrapped in a tight battle for second place eventually claiming the place in the final group stage game with just a point separating them from third. The pair most recently met in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage, the first group game ending in a 1-1 draw and Leverkusen coming on top in the reverse fixture at BayArena.
Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven
Record six-times winners of the Europa League, Sevilla will eye another prize to restore their status as a Champions League club due to their devastating start to their La Liga season with a mammoth 13 points from the top four places, recovery looking highly improbable at this moment. The club from Andalusia are in a surprise relegation battle too with only goal difference keeping them off the 18th spot in the league table. They could only manage third place behind Borussia Dortmund and group winners Manchester City in the Champions League group stage. With Jorge Sampaoli taking charge, Sevilla are wishing to bounce back even knowing PSV Eindhoven’s threat. The Dutch giants fought admirably in their group containing current Premier League leaders, Arsenal even beating the Gunners at home and only two points separating them from the winners at the end. They are also edging Ajax in Eredivisie for the league title. PSV’s excellent home form in particular and away form could trouble Sevilla in the first meetup between the sides in history.
FC Salzburg vs AS Roma
Last season’s Conference League champions AS Roma will compete in the Europa League knockout playoffs this time out after finishing behind Real Betis in a quite competitive group club Ludogorets Razgrad also giving a push for the second spot defeating Jose Mourinho’s men in the first group stage game even. Roma also needed a turnaround victory in the second half of the last group-stage match against the Bulgarian club to make qualification a surety. They finished on 10 points, six points off the top with 3 three wins, a draw and two losses. Salzburg are arriving in this competition finishing third in their Champions League group containing Chelsea and AC Milan whom they snatched points against in the first two games, winning against Dinamo Zagreb but then failing to gather more than a point in the last three. The Austrian champions sustain a talented squad and can cause similar issues to Roma. It will be a failure for the Giallorossi if they fail to qualify for the last 16 stages after a title triumph in the previous season.
