5 biggest battles to look forward to in UEFA Europa League 2022-23
The UEFA Europa League draw was hosted in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday, with Manchester United and Arsenal knowing their destiny for the upcoming season in the continental club competition.
Winners of the Europa League in 2017 under Jose Mourinho, Manchester United will be hoping to add another title under Erik Ten Hag’s management, albeit they will have to steer past Real Sociedad in Group E.
Arsenal meanwhile has begun the 2022-23 Premier League campaign in emphatic style as they currently sit at the top of the pile, and the Gunners will be hoping to carry forward that momentum into Europe.
Mikel Arteta’s side will have to contend with PSV, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich in Group A. Elsewhere, the inaugural UEFA Conference League champions Roma have been drawn in Group C alongside Ludogorets, Real Betis and HJK Helsinki.
With plenty of mouth-watering games to follow in the Europa League group stage, here’s a look at the 5 biggest battles to look forward to in UEL 2022-23.
#5 Olympiacos vs Freiburg
Greek club Olympiacos have been paired alongside Freiburg, Nantes and Qarabağ in Group G. While Nantes and Qarabağ will certainly fancy their chances, Olympiacos and Freiburg will be the clear front-runners for the top two spots. To decide who finishes at the top, both teams will square off twice, with the Bundesliga club having a slight upper hand.
The last meeting between these two teams ended in a 4-2 win for the German side, and that friendly fixture back in 2013, remains the one and only occasion when these teams have crossed swords. The champions of Greece will be no pushovers, however, Freiburg will have that slight edge over all of their opponents in the group.
#4 Lazio vs Feyenoord
For Lazio to beat Feyenoord, Sergej Milinković-Savić will have to be at his best
Serie A club Lazio has been drawn in Group F, with Dutch club Feyenoord and Midtjylland from Denmark as well as Sturm Graz of Austria. Maurizio Sarri’s side will fancy their chances of finishing at the top of the pile, but they will face a stern challenge from Feyenoord.
While the Italian club has won one and drawn their other league game, their Dutch opponents have won two games, and drawn their third game of the Eredivisie. As far as their head-to-head record is concerned, Feyenoord has won once, while the other match ended in a draw, so Lazio will have a record to settle in the Europa League this term.
#3 Roma vs Real Betis
The champions of the inaugural UEFA Conference League 2021-22, Roma, were given a direct qualification route into the group stage of the Europa League, and they have been paired with Real Betis, Ludogorets and HJK Helsinki in Group C. While the Serie A club will certainly fancy their chances to qualify in the top two spots, their Spanish adversaries will not make life easy for Mourinho.
On their day, Betis have the quality to tame any opposition, and they’ve won both their La Liga games so far. The last time Betis met Roma, it was a friendly exhibition game which ended in not so friendly manner with 3 red cards being dished out in a wild fixture that the Spanish club won 5-2. We’ll certainly have our popcorn ready when these two sides meet next.
#2 Arsenal vs PSV
Arsenal players celebrate after scoring a goal against Bournemouth
The Gunners headline Group A of the Europa League, and unless they go all Arsenal and suffer a catastrophic collapse, they will start this season as one of the favorites to lift the trophy. But first Arteta and his men will have to fight it out with PSV, Bodo/Glimt, and Zurich. Seems like a pretty straightforward top-place finish for the English club, but we all know the Londoners.
They have begun this season in stunning fashion sitting atop the Premier League standings, but it remains to be seen how long can their purple patch last.
Going by the head-to-head stats between Arsenal and PSV, the former side has won twice, while the latter has won just once, with three matches ending in draws. Remains to be seen whether Gabriel Jesus can continue his red-hot goalscoring streak until the end of September.
#1 Manchester United vs Real Sociedad
We all know the record of Spanish sides in the Europa League, remember Sevilla’s three-peat under Unai Emery?
Going by that track record, if there’s any team Erik Ten Hag would have loved to avoid, it had to be Real Sociedad. Just like Betis, they too have the ability to conjure up quite a few surprises. And then the Red Devils would also have to contend with Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia. United haven’t set the world alight so far under their new manager, but a win over Liverpool would certainly inspire some confidence at Old Trafford.
La Real have won one and lost the other La Liga fixture so far this term, but they will be no pushovers by any means, and therefore United cannot afford to be complacent at all. The top spot in Group E is theirs to lose.
