Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP)
Can Arsenal reignite in the Europa League? The London club, an unsuccessful finalist last year, inherited in sixteenths a warm trip to the Greeks of Olympiakos, according to the draw carried out on Monday, which also pitted Manchester United and Bruges.
The Gunners, who have won only one of their last twelve games, appear to be mired in a deep crisis that even the recent dismissal of Spanish coach Unai Emery has not been enough to stem.
Without the Basque technician, a recognized specialist in the Europa League, who he won three times with Seville before reaching the final last year with the London club, Arsenal still managed to secure its place in 16th this season , under the leadership of his new coach, Freddie Ljungberg.
It remains to be seen whether the Swedish technician will still be on the bench at the start of next year when traveling to Piraeus to challenge Olympiacos (February 20), then in the return match a week later (February 27) ...
Among the other big names in this draw, Manchester United inherited an opponent from the group stage of the Champions League, Club Brugge. The Belgians did not deserve it in C1, for example obtaining a deserved draw against Real Madrid on the lawn of the Bernabeu stadium (2-2). The Red Devils, winners of the 2017 Europa League, have reason to be suspicious.
Ajax Amsterdam, titled in 1992 and finalist against United three years ago, will have a lot to do with Getafe, a robust and rough team from the outskirts of Madrid. It will be a beautiful opposition of styles between the passing game of the Dutch club, semi-finalist of the previous Champions League, and the very waterproof block of "Azulones".
Among the other former winners of the event still present in the 16th, Seville FC, five times crowned, will face the Romanian club of Cluj and Inter Milan, triple winner, will play against the Bulgarians of Ludogorets.
For the two Glasgow clubs, the draw was rather mild: the Rangers of Steven Gerrard will have to challenge the Portuguese of Braga, while Celtic fell on Copenhagen. AS Rome inherited the Gantoise and Benfica found themselves facing Shakhtar Donetsk for a duel of clubs returned from the C1.
© 2019 AFP