2018-19 UEFA Europa League

Johner

Slavia Prague the better team in the first half although they had no real chances. Willian went closest hitting the bar with a decent effort.

Mr.Nice Guy

3-1 Benfica. Ruben Dias completely free to head in from close range. Joao Felix with the headed assist from the near post.

Mr.Nice Guy

4-1 Benfica. Joao Felix with the hat-trick. First time I've seen this guy properly and I can see why he's attracting such interest. Looks dangerous every time the ball comes near him.

Mr.Nice Guy

4-2 in Portugal now. What a game. Brilliant header from substitute Paciencia and a potentially huge goal for Eintracht.

ERG89

Think 2-0 will be good enough for Arsenal. Dont think Napoli can score 2 or 3 more than them in Naples.
Astonished at how bad Napoli played. Other than Meret & Callejon I thought Napoli were hopeless. Koulibaly, Zielinski & Insigne were in particular very poor given their reputation.
Valencia have one foot in the semi's.

citytillidie

Quarter-Final 1st leg Results
Arsenal (ENG) 2 V 0 Napoli (ITA)
Villarreal (ESP) 1 V 3 Valencia (ESP)
Benfica (POR) 4 V 2 Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
Slavia Praha (CZE) 0 V 1 Chelsea (ENG)

Mr.Nice Guy

Ends 4-2 between Benfica and Eintracht. It was a surprisingly nervy finish for Benfica with Eintracht finishing stronger. Joao Felix the MOTM. I think Eintracht are still very much in this tie, especially if Sebastien Haller returns for it.

Good result for Arsenal. Preventing Napoli from getting the away goal is big. Still life in the tie but Arsenal favourites.

Big late goal for Chelsea. Looks like they're on their way to the semis.

Sounds like Villarreal collapsed, conceding two goals in stoppage time. Valencia look to be effectively through now.

5starpool

Has the semi final draw for the EL been done already?

citytillidie

5starpool wrote: »

Has the semi final draw for the EL been done already?

Semi-Finals
Arsenal (ENG)/Napoli (ITA) V Villarreal (ESP)/Valencia (ESP)
Benfica (POR)/Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) V Slavia Praha (CZE)/Chelsea

GLaDOS

Good chance of an all English final

citytillidie

Quarter-Final 2nd legs
Chelsea (ENG) V Slavia Praha (CZE) (Agg 1-0) - Live on BT Sport 3
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) V Benfica (POR) (Agg 2-4) - Live on BT Sport Extra 2
Napoli (ITA) V Arsenal (ENG) (Agg 0-2) - Live on BT Sport 2 / Virgin Media 2
Valencia (ESP) V Villarreal (ESP) (Agg 3-1) - Live on BT Sport ESPN

Mr.Nice Guy

Looking forward to the Eintracht and Napoli games. Think they can turn them around but it won't be easy. Other ties look done and dusted.

citytillidie

Blah blah

2nd time in 2 weeks I should pay more attention

GavRedKing

Wrong thread.

Mr.Nice Guy

Napoli vs Arsenal (0-2) line-ups:

Napoli XI: Meret; Maksimovic, Chiriches, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Callejon, Allan, Fabian Ruiz, Zielinski; Milik, Insigne.

Arsenal XI: Cech; Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal; Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ramsey; Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Big call from Ancelotti going with Milik over Mertens. I like the Arsenal line-up; I think Emery was right to leave Ozil on the bench.

Eintracht vs Benfica (2-4) teams:

Eintracht Frankfurt XI: Trapp; Hasebe, Abraham, Falette; da Costa, Fernandes, Rode, Kostic; Gacinovic; Jovic, Rebic.

Benfica XI: Vlachodimos; Almeida, Dias, Jardel, Grimaldo; Fernandes, Samaris, Fejsa, Silva; Felix, Seferovic.

Seems Sebastien Haller is still out for Eintracht which is a blow, but Kostic, Jovic and Rebic can cause problems. Keen to see how Joao Felix fares after his hat-trick in the first leg.

Hopefully another fun evening on the way.

GavRedKing

Chelsea 4 - 1 up after 26mins.

Chelsea v Benfica in the semi final barring a miracle in the Benfica game.

Mr.Nice Guy

Valencia also 1-0 up on Villarreal I hear. No goals in the two games I'm keeping an eye on. :pac:

Blow for Arsenal with Ramsey having to go off injured. Mhkitaryan on to replace him.

irishguitarlad

Frankfurt Up 1-0, Game on

Mr.Nice Guy

Lacazette scores a peach of a free-kick to perhaps put the tie to bed.

Eintracht goal as well! Kostic scores after Rebic's shot comes off the post but replays show he was in an offside position. Unfortunately for Benfica, no VAR in the Europa League.

Game on in the tie now.

irishguitarlad

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Lacazette scores a peach of a free-kick to perhaps put the tie to bed.

Eintracht goal as well! Kostic scores after Rebic's shot comes off the post but replays show he was in an offside position. Unfortunately for Benfica, no VAR in the Europa League.

Game on in the tie now.

Pretty shocking how there is no VAR in Europa league.

GavRedKing

Pedro had a miss of the century too earlier.

Hit the post from a yard outx the rebound hits the CB in the face and goes in.

wonski

irishguitarlad wrote: »

Pretty shocking how there is no VAR in Europa league.

Not shocking at all tbh.

They only introduced it to final rounds in CL and there is no var in Premier League yet.

Hopefully next year will be the end of these medieval times in modern football

GavRedKing

4 - 3 Chelsea 2 fine long range goals have made it a nervous game all of a sudden.

Chelsea still 2 goals up on aggregate.

Mr.Nice Guy

2-0 Eintracht! Rode with a long range effort. Advantage with the German side now.

Mr.Nice Guy

Rebic has got himself booked and will miss the first leg if Eintracht advance. He's been their best player tonight.

And Benfica have just hit the post. They're ending the game well.

citytillidie

Quarter-Final 2nd leg Results
Chelsea (ENG) 4 V 3 Slavia Praha (CZE) (Agg 5-3)
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) 2 V 0 Benfica (POR) (Agg 4-4) - Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) win on Away goals
Napoli (ITA) 0 V 1 Arsenal (ENG) (Agg 0-3)
Valencia (ESP) 2 V 0 Villarreal (ESP) (Agg 5-1)

Semi-Final
Arsenal (ENG) V Valencia (ESP)
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) V Chelsea (ENG)

Mr.Nice Guy

Deserved win for Eintracht on the night although Benfica had their moments. Rebic the best player on the park and his suspension for the first leg will be a blow, although at least Haller might be back fit for the semis. Kostic did well also.

Great result for Arsenal as well and Emery got his tactics spot on. I overestimated Napoli's potential. Thought they were really poor.

irishguitarlad

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Rebic has got himself booked and will miss the first leg if Eintracht advance. He's been their best player tonight.

And Benfica have just hit the post. They're ending the game well.

That Kostic was good as well. Jovic was quiet, Benfica have two young stars in the making with gedson and jao Félix. Anyways I reckon a Chelsea v Arsenal final.

KaiserGunner

Bret Hart wrote: »

A Chelsea v Napoli final then.The two strongest teams in the competiton.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Called it before Christmas.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=108877175&postcount=274

See no reason to change my mind, although Eintracht's attack will cause problems for any team.

brianregan09 wrote: »

Delighted everyone is already ruling out Arsenal

Call me a sore winner, but delighted with that “comfortable “ 2 legged win over Napoli. Valencia now in the semi final, hopefully that will go better than last season against Atletico.

ERG89

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Great result for Arsenal as well and Emery got his tactics spot on. I overestimated Napoli's potential. Thought they were really poor.

Having seen them last week they were terrible & I wrote them off then even knowing Arsenal's away form.
I didn't expect them to repeat last season but they've gotten worse as the season has went on under Ancellotti.
They need to move on a few players too as the full backs, Mertens & most of their recent signings like Verdi, Rog, Younas & Malcuit haven't added anything.
Fair play Arsenal. If both miss out on the top 4 that final will be something.

citytillidie

Meet the last 4
Arsenal (ENG)
UEFA ranking: 10
This season: W9 D1 L2 F22 A6 (entry: group stage)
Knockouts: 3-1 v BATE Borisov, 4-3 v Rennes, 3-0 v Napoli
Last season: UEFA Europa League semi-finals
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League best: runners-up (2000)

Season in a nutshell: Arsenal's first season without Arsène Wenger since 1995/96 has been an enigmatic affair. Eleven successive wins between August and October had fans singing "We've got our Arsenal back", but since then the club's familiar defensive issues have plagued their progress. Nevertheless, the goal remains a UEFA Champions League return – either as UEFA Europa League winners or top-four finishers in England.

Key player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Arsenal's top scorer has also been a creator for the team, and he made a huge contribution to the comeback against Rennes which fired the team's challenge in the knockout stages.

Why this is their year: Unai Emery. Arsenal have never shifted their focus from the UEFA Europa League this season, and it's unsurprising. This is a man who knows the tournament backwards and has made The Gunners even more competitive in it.

Chelsea (ENG)
UEFA ranking: 16
This season: W11 D1 L0 F30 A7 (group stage)
Knockouts: 5-1 v Malmö, 8-0 v Dynamo Kyiv, 5-3 v Slavia Praha
Last season: UEFA Champions League round of 16
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League best: winners (2013)

Season in a nutshell: Chelsea kicked off with five straight victories in the Premier League as former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri settled in, yet that early momentum gradually began to fade. Although the Blues finished runners-up in the English League Cup, they have slipped in the top-flight standings and suffered FA Cup elimination – increasing the onus on their UEFA Europa League tilt.

Key player: Olivier Giroud. The UEFA Europa League's top scorer, the Frenchman's ten goals have been pivotal in Chelsea's run to the semi-finals. The world champion leads the line powerfully, links well with the wide players and has an eye for the spectacular.

Why this is their year: Experience. The Blues have lifted a trophy in each of the last two seasons and reached a domestic cup final as recently as February. César Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard remain from the squad that won this competition in 2013.

Valencia (ESP)
UEFA ranking: 43
This season: W5 D1 L0 F11 A3 (round of 32)
Knockouts: 3-0 v Celtic, 3-2 v Krasnodar, 5-1 v Villarreal
Last season: N/A (previous campaign: 2015/16)
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League best: winners (2004)

Season in a nutshell: The only team that transferred into the competition from the UEFA Champions League who are still in the running, Valencia began the season with just one win from their first 13 games in all competitions. Since then, they have steadily climbed the Liga table while booking themselves a spot in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in May.

Key player: Dani Parejo. There is a terrific supporting cast across the Valencia squad but the captain is the leader, the artist, the old-hand and the calm talent. If storms lie ahead he'll steer them through.

Why this is their year: Momentum. It's the centenary of this fine club and while they've been difficult to beat all season, in recent weeks they've been on a roll – quick, lots of conviction, the goals flowing and oozing belief. Not just their 100th year; THEIR year.

Frankfurt (GER)
UEFA ranking: 77
This season: W9 D2 L1 F28 A12 (group stage)
Knockouts: 6-3 v Shakhtar Donetsk, 1-0 v Internazionale, 4-4 v Benfica (won on away goals)
Last season: N/A (previous campaign: 2013/14)
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League best: winners (1980)

Season in a nutshell: What a turnaround it has been since the start of the campaign, when Frankfurt lost four of their first five matches under Adi Hütter. The successor to Niko Kovač held his nerve and has guided the club from 15th in the Bundesliga to top-four contention, while regularly impressing in Europe – thanks largely to prolific duo Luka Jović and Sébastien Haller.

Key player: Luka Jović. After showing glimpses of his qualities last season, the Serbia striker has proven his pedigree and taken a giant stride forward in his development. When he's on form, Frankfurt are at their most dangerous.

Why this is their year: Frankfurt are riding a wave of euphoria that stems from ending a 30-year wait for silverware last season. With big clubs eyeing their key players, this is their best chance at adding to the UEFA Cup they won in 1980.

citytillidie

Semi-Final 1st Legs
Arsenal (ENG) V Valencia (ESP) - Live on BT Sport 2 / Virgin Media 2
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) V Chelsea (ENG) - Live on BT Sport 3

Mr.Nice Guy

Team news:

Eintracht Frankfurt XI: Trapp; Abraham, Hasebe, Hinteregger; Da Costa, Rode, Fernandes, Falette; Gacinovic, Jovic, Kostic.

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, David Luiz, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek; Pedro, Giroud, Willian.

Arsenal XI: Cech; Sokratis, Koscielny, Mustafi; Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Ozil; Aubameyang, Lacazette.

Valencia XI: Neto; Diakhaby, Garay, Paulista, Roncaglia; Piccini, Carlos Soler, Parejo, Gaya; Rodrigo, Guedes.

Sad to see Haller still out injured, and Rebic suspended as well which is good news for Chelsea. Surprised Sarri has benched Hazard which is obviously good news for Frankfurt. Hope Jovic shows what he can do.

Big game for Ozil who needs to step up tonight. Hope Guedes can do the same.

Going to try and keep an eye on both of these but it's a pain they're on at the same time. I'll say 1-1 in Germany and 2-1 in London.

Mr.Nice Guy

Sokratis lucky not to see red. Poor challenge. Not even getting a booking.

Mr.Nice Guy

Valencia goal! Diakhaby with a header. They deserve that based on how they've started.

blueser

Risible defending by Arsenal. Three men on the Valencia player, yet he wins the header easily.

Mr.Nice Guy

What was Maitland-Niles doing? Almost cost his team another goal. Arsenal so poor in these early stages. Giving Valencia loads of time on the ball.

Mr.Nice Guy

1-1. Lovely equaliser for Arsenal from Lacazette. Great link-up with Aubameyang.

Mr.Nice Guy

JOVIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

What a header! 1-0 to Frankfurt.

Mr.Nice Guy

2-1 Arsenal. Lacazette gets another as his header crosses the line.

Mr.Nice Guy

1-1 Chelsea. Fine strike from Pedro from RLC's pass but I can't believe Frankfurt allowed Loftus-Cheek to get the assist away. Poor defending.

Half-Time. Chelsea finished the half well. RLC went close just before the goal with a nice strike.

Johner

Deserved equalizer for us there.

PTH2009

Would man utd get into the Champions league next season if Arsenal or Chelsea win the Europa this season???

GavRedKing

PTH2009 wrote: »

Would man utd get into the Champions league next season if Arsenal or Chelsea win the Europa this season???

Nope.

Utd only get CL if they finish 4th.

If arsenal or Chelsea finish outside top 4 and win EL and Spurs win the CL and also finish outside top 4, then whoever comes 4th, would lose out on CL football as its a maximum of 5 teams per association that can enter the CL.

PTH2009

GavRedKing wrote: »

Nope.

Utd only get CL if they finish 4th.

If arsenal or Chelsea finish outside top 4 and win EL and Spurs win the CL and also finish outside top 4, then whoever comes 4th, would lose out on CL football as its a maximum of 5 teams per association that can enter the CL.

I always thought a euro winner out of the top 4 teams would mean 5th get into the Champions league as the CL and EL winners get an auto place in the following seasons CL

KaiserGunner

PTH2009 wrote: »

I always thought a euro winner out of the top 4 teams would mean 5th get into the Champions league as the CL and EL winners get an auto place in the following seasons CL

No, that’s never been the case and rightly so. If you finish 5th or 6th in the league without winning a European trophy, you don’t deserve a champions league spot.

Mr.Nice Guy

Luiz with a great free-kick that hits the crossbar.

Johner

We are battering them now. Watch them score now. :rolleyes:

Mr.Nice Guy

Lacazette's wasted great chances to secure the hat-trick. Wonder will it prove costly...

Mr.Nice Guy

3-1 at the Emirates. Aubameyang from close range after Neto had made a super save earlier in the move. Big goal for Arsenal.