PARIS (AFP) - Arsenal will take on Napoli in the pick of the ties in the quarter-finals of this season's Europa League following Friday's (March 15) draw, as Chelsea were paired with outsiders Slavia Prague.
Unai Emery's team will host Napoli at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg on April 11, with the return in Italy a week later.
It is a tough draw for the Gunners, with Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli currently second in Serie A - they were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage despite beating Liverpool at home and drawing twice with Paris Saint-Germain.
The winners of that tie will go on to a semi-final against the winners of an all-Spanish quarter-final between local rivals Valencia and Villarreal.
Both LaLiga sides defeated Russian opposition in the last 16, with Valencia edging out Krasnodar and Villarreal, who are struggling domestically, knocking out Zenit St Petersburg.
Before winning the Europa League three years running with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, Emery really came to prominence during three years in charge of Valencia. He led them to three consecutive third-place finishes in La Liga between 2010 and 2012.
Emery and Ancelotti are both former Paris St Germain coaches, but the latter may have wished for a match-up with another of his old sides, Chelsea.
Instead, the west London club will face Slavia, heading to the capital of the Czech Republic for the first leg on April 11.
Chelsea, winners of the Europa League in 2013, will fancy their chances of advancing, although they would be wise to beware a Slavia side who are top of the Czech league and knocked out Sevilla in the last 16.
The winners of that tie will go through to a semi-final against either Benfica or dark horses Eintracht Frankfurt.
Benfica, who dropped out of this season's Champions League at the group stage, lost to Chelsea in the 2013 Europa League final and were then beaten by Sevilla on penalties in the final a year later.
Eintracht are a dangerous prospect, and the only German survivor in any European competition this season. The 1980 Uefa Cup winners, and runners-up in the European Cup in 1960, won the German Cup last season and are fresh from eliminating Inter Milan in the last 16.
This year's Europa League final will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 29.
The winners will secure passage to next season's Champions League group stage.
Quarter-final draw
Arsenal v Napoli
Villarreal v Valencia
Benfica v Eintracht Frankfurt
Slavia Prague v Chelsea
The first legs will be played on April 11, and the return legs on April 18.
Wu Lei makes history for China in La Liga | Free Malaysia Today
Rangers crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday after falling 1-0 at Rapid Vienna, while crowd trouble sparked by Eintracht Frankfurt fans marred the German side's win at Lazio.
Europa League: Rangers crash out, Eintracht fans run riot at
China aims to become football superpower 'by 2050' The men's football team should become one of the best in Asia, while the female football team should be ranked as a world-class team, by 2030
Football: World Cup 2022 or bust for Lippi on China return
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has aimed a cheeky dug at Liverpool. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will welcome their arch-rivals Liverpool to Old Trafford ahead of the high voltage Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Solskjaer aims veiled dig at Mourinho as he seeks to return
'Sarri will be happy now' - Hazard hails Chelsea response in Huddersfield trouncing Chelsea star Eden Hazard hopes they impressed head coach Maurizio Sarri with their 5-0 This kind of game
Sarri hails stars of future as Chelsea young guns torment
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 07, 2019, with the headline 'Hazard leads tributes for departing Fabregas'. Print Edition | Subscribe.
Chelsea attacker Hazard pays tribute to departing Fabregas
Most of the time, preseason power rankings are the ugly union of last season's inertia and this year's guesswork. We take everything that happened last year, modify it slightly by what occurred in
Tower 1988 by Northwest Missouri State University Archives
Football News -SINGAPORE - The Fandi brothers are proving their fine vein of form is no fluke as both scored midweek for their respective clubs again.. Fandi brothers Irfan and Ikhsan score
Football: Fandi brothers Irfan and Ikhsan score again for BG
bigsportsnews.com/soccer/football-fandi-brothers-irfan-and-ikhsan-score-again-for-bg-pathum-and-raufoss-respectively/
Football: Fandi brothers Irfan and Ikhsan score again for BG Pathum and Raufoss respectively 05/16/2019 SINGAPORE - The Fandi brothers are proving their fine vein of form is no fluke as both scored midweek for their respective clubs again.
Football: Ikhsan Fandi scores in third successive match for
Chelsea boss Sarri demands more from Hazard. he's more an individual player than a leader," said Sarri on Wednesday. In an interview with France Football, this week Hazard again raised
Chelsea Boss Sarri Demands More From Hazard - Channels Television
Bayern eye Chelsea teen, Football News & Top Stories - The
Apr 27, 2019 · LONDON (AP) — Norwich is returning to the English Premier League after a three-year absence, and Sheffield United is likely to be promoted, too. Norwich, from eastern England, clinched one of
Norwich Promoted To Premier League After Three-Year Absence
Leighton Baines is "confident" Everton have the team and players to produce an upturn in form - and certain "big character" David Unsworth can help the Toffees banish memories of their slow start to the campaign.
Congratulations Messages for Sports Achievement
Football: Jose Mourinho says he lacked help in Manchester United job Related Story. Football: Where next for Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid have an itch to scratch? China and France are options.
Should Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho part ways?
One fan wrote on Twitter: "If Portugal wins the Nation's League should Bernardo Silva (City) be in the conversation just as much as Cristiano Ronaldo (Juve) for the Balon d'Or?" Read More "Fuming
Cristiano Ronaldo Top 10 Ridiculous Things That No One
0 comments:
Post a Comment