UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals: Riveting matchups in the waiting

The Europa League is back with intriguing quarterfinal matchups

Eight sides remain in the maiden season of this new Europa League format. What started off in August with qualifying, a truncated Europa League sees several familiar names remaining. Two more rounds are left before the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan hosts the final.

Last round was a rather forgettable one for me prediction wise. Only Barcelona’s success at the expense of Galatasaray did I accurately predict. The remaining ties all went against my predictions. I most certainly will hope to do better this time.

With that said, here are the quarterfinal matchups.

RB Leipzig vs Atalanta

We start with the team who received a bye last time out, RB Leipzig, taking on an Atalanta side making their furthest foray in Europa League history.

This is the perfect time for the Germans to take the pitch in continental play. Only Bayern Munich have managed to get the better of Domenico Tedesco’s side this calendar year. Outside of that, they have been nearly unstoppable.

Their weekend outing saw them pull off a dominant display at the Westfallen Stadion, crushing Borussia Dortmund 4-1. One of two teams left in the Europa League that are currently in a Champions League spot via their league, they have hit form at the right time.

Consistency has been hard to come by for the Bergamaschi. With six reverses in 2022, it is quite difficult to call which Atalanta side we will see across the two ties. A weekend defeat to title contenders Napoli, getting back to Europe via Serie A could prove to be a lot for the Orobici.

Finishing third in their Champions League group, they have won all four Europa League knockout ties against Olympiakos and more recently Bayer Leverkusen. If they keep up those performances, they stand a great chance to move on.

As for who I am going with, I favor Leipzig here. I think Tedesco is getting the best out of the Germans, playing confident football. I just do not know what to expect from Atalanta. While la Dea have more to lose regarding hopes to qualify for Europe again, I can see them falling by the wayside here.

Sporting Braga vs Rangers

A cracking rematch from 2019/20, the remaining clubs from outside the big 5 leagues will go head-to-head with at least two more matches guaranteed for the winner.

While both sides will consider their domestic seasons as rather disappointing, it is Braga who have had it worse here. While they got the better of Benfica in their most recent domestic clash, they are still nine points behind the Lisbon club for the last Champions League spot. They have been hit and miss throughout the Europa League season, failing to win their group. Turning things around against Sheriff in the knockout playoffs, they outdid Monaco in the previous round.

Second in Scotland, Rangers limp into this one off the back of a derby defeat to eternal rivals Celtic. Making matters worse for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, they find themselves six points adrift from top spot with six games to play. Also failing to end up atop of their Europa League group, they impressed against Borussia Dortmund and Crvena zvezda to get to this point. A more than decent chance at the semifinals is still possible for the Glaswegians.

Three seasons back saw the Scottish side progress in a topsy turvy affair, and it would seldom surprise me to see a repeat performance, but pulling the same trick twice will be quite the tall order for me. Braga are an established Europa League team and are a tricky club to meet in this competition. With that said, I will go with the Portuguese side to get their revenge.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Barcelona

A trip to Spain for the second successive round awaits Frankfurt, who are meeting a Barcelona team looking more like the side many are familiar with under Xavi.

While they are the worst side domestically of the teams left, it would be ill-advised to underestimate this Frankfurt team. Semifinalists in 2018/19, they are another side who are rather solid in the Europa League. Topping a group which featured Fenerbahce, Olympiakos and Antwerp, defeat of Real Betis presented them their hardest challenge yet. Whether Oliver Glasner’s men can make a return to the semis over this Barcelona team is another matter.

It has been a year of two stories for the Blaugrana. Xavi has finally given this side the identity fans know and expect. Despite finishing third in their Champions League group, the Catalans have dispatched Napoli and Galatasaray en route to this round.

Domestically, they are back in Champions League places, with recent successes coming against Real Madrid and Sevilla. In what is their last legitimate shot at silverware for the season, progression is expected from Barca.

The only tie that has a clear favorite for me, I cannot justify choosing Frankfurt to go through. Unless they can shut down a confident Barcelona team and throw them off their rhythm, I have to go with the LaLiga side.

West Ham vs Olympique Lyon

Two sides who pulled off impressive wins in the previous round will do battle over the next two Thursdays in what very well could be the tie of the round.

Three wins in four has David Moyes’ Irons keeping pace for a return to Europe next season. Of course, they had the win of their campaign last time out eliminating the competition’s most successful side in Sevilla. In what is their first ever season in the Europa League (group stage on), they are having a solid time in UEFA’s second tier tournament.

The only unbeaten team left in the Europa League, Lyon are once again struggling domestically. Finishing just outside of the Champions League places in France at the end of last May, they are ninth in Ligue 1 heading into the first leg. Lifting the trophy in Seville might just be Lyon’s only real chance to get back into Europe next season. They are more than capable to do so, but it will take a repeat of group stage showings in order to do that.

So far West Ham have taken on European regulars from Croatia, Belgium, Austria and Spain. Now, after passing their biggest test, they face the 2019/20 Champions League semifinalists. Although their most recent fixture with English opposition went in their favor, Lyon typically struggles with English clubs. Keeping that in mind, I give the edge to Peter Bosz’s men as the considerably more experienced European club. I would not be surprised to see the Hammers produce more magic, but for now I have to go with the French side.

The kickoff times over the next Tuesdays can be found here and here. With six of the eight teams not in a position to qualify for the Champions League domestically, the Europa League allows them a shorter route back to football’s premier club competition. The intensity will now increase as eight will dwindle to four over the coming week.