THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE 16 REMAINING SIDES IN THE UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

There are now less than two weeks until the UEFA Europa League gets back underway, with the remaining ties from the Round of 16. In the case of six of the eight ties, their second leg will be played as normal, behind closed doors of course, as the first leg has already been played. For both Sevilla and Getafe, who will face Roma and Inter respectively, the tie will be a one-legged affair in Germany on 5th and 6th August. Here, we will try to put into context the situation for the fifteen sides who are still in the tournament alongside Sevilla FC, as the pandemic has obliged countries to make their own decisions. While some clubs have already finished their domestic competitions, others are still playing competitive matches at the moment.

AS Roma, Sevilla FC's opponent in the Round of 16, are still in Serie A action, with three matches remaining. They have mathematically confirmed a place in the 2020/21 Europa League, but they will only be able to take part in next season's Champions League by winning the UEL, as their arch rivals, SS Lazio, have sealed the final Champions League place. Roma still have to secure their spot in next season's UEL Group Stage, which they will achieve provided they are not overtaken by an in-form AC Milan, who are just two points behind. Serie A will finish on Sunday 2nd August, meaning Fonseca's side will have just enough time to prepare for the match against the Nervionenses on 6th August.

Roma have qualified for next season's Europa League but cannot finish in the top four

If Sevilla FC beat AS Roma, then they will face either Olympiacos or Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Greek league finished last weekend, and Olympiacos won the league by a comfortable margin, taking back the title after failing to win it in the previous two seasons. Wolves have one Premier League match to go and are in sixth place, meaning they need to win on their trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to secure UEL qualification without depending on results elsewhere. If Arsenal do not win the FA Cup, the team in seventh will qualify for the UEL, so Wolves could still qualify even with a defeat against Chelsea. 

The four possible semi-final opponents are Lask Linz, Manchester United, Istanbul Basaksehir and FC Copenhagen. Lask, the Austrian side, are virtually out of the tournament after losing 5-0 at home to Manchester United in the first leg, and their season finished three weeks ago. They finished fourth in the playoff phase after receiving a four-point deduction. They will play in the Europa League qualifiers. United will have a thrilling end to the season, as they face what is a effectively a Champions League play-off against Leicester on Sunday. If they win, they finish third, if they draw, they will finish in fourth, at least, but if they lose they will finish outside the top four. Basaksehir play their final league match of the season on Sunday against Kasimpasa, but they have already mathematically won the Super Lig for the first time in their history. Regarding Copenhagen, they will play their final playoff match on Sunday against Nordsjaelland. Their fate is in their own hands as they look to finish second and go straight to the UEL Group Stage, but they could fall to third and have to enter the qualifiers.

Only Rangers, who start the 20/21 season in eight days, saw their league completely suspended

Now, the eight sides who Sevilla FC could only face in the final in Cologne on 21st August. Getafe will face Inter in the Round of 16, and the side from Madrid have to win the tournament to return to Europe after finishing eighth. For the Italians, despite their very slim hopes of winning the Scudetto, they are fighting for the runners-up berth alongside Atalanta and Lazio, with the three sides separated by two points. The winners of that tie will face the winners of Rangers vs Bayer Leverkusen. The German side finished fifth in the Bundesliga, meaning they have qualified for the UEL Group Stage, and they also lost the cup final against Bayern. The Scottish side are currently in pre-season, with the Scottish Premiership beginning on 1st August. In Scotland, as in France, they decided to cut short their league season, meaning Rangers again finished as runners-up, and will play in the UEL qualifiers.

To conclude, the final two ties, the first of which is Wolfsburg-Shakhtar Donetsk. The German side finished seventh in the Bundesliga and have qualified for the UEL qualifiers, while the Ukranians finished their league last weekend as champions, and will be in the UCL Group Stage next season. The winners of that tie will face either Eintracht Frankfurt or Basel. Eintracht finished ninth, so their only way back into Europe is by winning the tournament, while the Swiss side will face Lugano in their final league match of the season on Sunday. The best they can hope for is the runners-up spot, and they are unable to qualify for the UCL through their league.