[ad_1]
Manchester United and Arsenal have been drawn in opposition to good opposition within the Europa League and whereas each have the standard to advance, they cannot afford to take their group stage video games flippantly in the event that they’re to advance.
– Europa League draw: Man United, Arsenal face tough groups
Manchester United will face Real Sociedad, who completed sixth in LaLiga final season, Sheriff Tiraspol from Moldova (they beat Real Madrid final season within the Champions League) and the Cypriot facet, Omonia Nicosia. In the meantime Arsenal will journey to the Netherlands to play PSV Eindhoven, who misplaced to Rangers within the Champions League playoff in midweek, in addition to to the very northern tip of Norway to satisfy FK Bodo/Glimt (who beat AS Roma 6-1 within the Europa Convention League final season) and Swiss facet FC Zurich.
Regardless of dropping their striker Alexander Isak to Newcastle, Actual Sociedad nonetheless have a proficient squad, boasting promising younger expertise like ahead Mohamed-Ali Cho and midfielder Takefusa Kubo, established internationals like Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal, they usually’re led by the 36-year-old David Silva, who will return to Manchester after taking part in for 10 years for Metropolis. The workforce performs attacking, passing soccer and their supervisor Imanol Alguacil, who took them to their first Spanish Cup win in 33 years in 2020 (performed in 2021), is doing an incredible job.
Sheriff have been one of many surprises within the Champions League final season. They shocked the soccer world after they beat Actual Madrid on the Bernabeu (2-1) final September within the Champions League, solely to complete third of their group and find yourself within the Europa League, the place they misplaced to Braga within the final 32 spherical. Nonetheless, they’re not so good as final yr. They’ve a brand new supervisor in Stjepan Tomas, who did not actually do nicely when he managed in Turkey. This can be a younger squad and the hardest factor for his or her opponents would be the lengthy journey to Transnistria in Moldova.
Lastly, Omonia Nicosia, coached by Scotland and Celtic legend Neil Lennon, are probably the weakest workforce within the group on paper, however they’ve a passionate travelling assist and a few skilled gamers like Hungarian worldwide Adam Lang, former Sunderland defender Adam Matthews and former U.S. worldwide Combine Diskerud.
Arsenal’s group is kind of just like United by way of sorts of opponent. PSV Eindhoven are clearly the hardest workforce and might be anxious to impress after being narrowly knocked out by Rangers (3-2 on mixture) within the Champions League’s last playoff spherical. In his first season on the bench, Ruud Van Nistelrooy will come again to England, the place he had many profitable years as a participant at Manchester United, and he has a workforce that may compete: witness their destruction of Ajax within the Dutch Tremendous Cup. He has a proficient workforce who blew away Ajax within the Dutch Tremendous Cup again in July (5-3).
Luuk De Jong, again from Barcelona, is the captain and chief, however the likes of Cody Gakpo, Xavi Simons, Ibrahim Sangaré, Joey Veerman and Jordan Teze make this workforce stable and harmful. The environment on the Philips Stadion might be fairly particular, too.
Arsenal’s most unique journey, although, might be in Bodo, within the far north of Norway. The 2021 Norwegian champions have been overwhelmed by Dynamo Zagreb this week within the Champions League playoff to finish up right here. They play in a small stadium, on a plastic pitch, and it’s sufficient of a logistical problem to distract visiting groups from the duty at hand. Roma and Jose Mourinho misplaced there twice final season!
Regardless of having misplaced a few of their finest gamers prior to now 18 months — like Jens Petter Hauge’s transfer to AC Milan — Kjetil Knudsen is doing an incredible job as supervisor, they nonetheless play nice soccer with depth and they are going to be laborious to beat of their three house video games.
Lastly, FC Zurich appear like the weakest workforce within the group on paper. They gained the Swiss league in 2022, however misplaced the supervisor who received them there, Andre Breitenreiter, to Hoffenheim, changing with Franco Foda, the previous Austria head coach. Up to now, it isn’t going nicely this season: they’re dead-last within the Swiss Tremendous League and the one workforce with out a win after 5 video games. Wilfried Gnonto, 18, who made his Italy debut final June within the Nations League, is their finest participant, they usually did handle to maintain him their summer season. That mentioned, it could be a problem to flee this group or pose Arsenal a critical problem.
Source link
