⚽UEFA Europa League Discussion Thread -- 2023/24 | Winner: Atalanta

[LFC_Bitcoin]

Nice and comfortable 4-0 win for Liverpool, into the last 16 as group winners. We can forget this competition until March now.

Eyes on much bigger prizes, full focus on the Premier League now.

[temple]

I suppose there really is nothing after Champions League, huh. No mentions anywhere about the ambitions of 2nd-tier teams (including Liverpool?).

At least we know already Barca won't drop down here for a third season running -- but are we perhaps going to welcome Man United? Wouldn't mind it, to be honest, with the way they're playing.

I'm happy to welcome Man Utd to the UEL after their lacklustre run of performance in the UCL this season. Despite going 2 up yesterday, they ended up sharing a point. Now that's the kind of team that should be in the UEL.

Btw, Sevilla is working very hard to get back to the Europa league . They were up on two occasions yesterday against PSV and managed to fold in the later minutes to lose 2-3 at home to PSV.

Do you really think that Manchester United deserved their spot in either the Champions League or the Europa League as you said? I think Copenhagen is going to make their dream become true and win the game at home against Galatasaray, which would immensely reduce the chances for Manchester United to play any of the two competitions unless they win their game against Bayern Munich. A draw would not be enough as they only got 1 point out of the two games against Galatasaray.

[borovichok]

Nice and comfortable 4-0 win for Liverpool, into the last 16 as group winners. We can forget this competition until March now.

Eyes on much bigger prizes, full focus on the Premier League now.

Who wouldn't settle for the important trophies? Jurgen Klopp is keen on bouncing his team back to good form, more reason to win the Europa league trophy because that will cover the tracks of their errors and boosts them back so strong. We expects Liverpool to win matches against these average clubs that doesn't reach their standards. I don't know how you look at Liverpool, but for me, I've already seen them in the Europa League final this season. There's no threat for the Reds yet, one of the major reasons they're thrashing any clubs as if it's nothing.

[nelson4lov]

~Snipped

Do you really think that Manchester United deserved their spot in either the Champions League or the Europa League as you said? I think Copenhagen is going to make their dream become true and win the game at home against Galatasaray, which would immensely reduce the chances for Manchester United to play any of the two competitions unless they win their game against Bayern Munich. A draw would not be enough as they only got 1 point out of the two games against Galatasaray.

I have had reservations about Man Utd presence in the UCL right from when they qualified at the expense of Liverpool playing in the Europa league. It should be Liverpool in the Champions league. So I've been following up on man Utd games and so far so good, they lack consistency — win today, lose next 2 games. Man Utd is currently in a tight corner and there's only a tiny chance that they would qualify but this is football. The Europa league will be much more interesting when teams like Man Utd join the tournament after elimination from the champions league. This would be interesting.

[Rockstarguy]

Nice and comfortable 4-0 win for Liverpool, into the last 16 as group winners. We can forget this competition until March now.

Eyes on much bigger prizes, full focus on the Premier League now.

Who wouldn't settle for the important trophies? Jurgen Klopp is keen on bouncing his team back to good form, more reason to win the Europa league trophy because that will cover the tracks of their errors and boosts them back so strong. We expects Liverpool to win matches against these average clubs that doesn't reach their standards. I don't know how you look at Liverpool, but for me, I've already seen them in the Europa League final this season. There's no threat for the Reds yet, one of the major reasons they're thrashing any clubs as if it's nothing.

I think Liverpool are very ready to get Europa league trophy this season because this will be an automatic entrance for them to be qualify for champions league.  Liverpool is also doing great in performance in premier league that's to say their coach is really working hard and has improved the team. With the current performance of Liverpool it is certain that they will end up with the season with a trophy. It is so Interesting seeing Liverpool doing well in the Europa League. I was expecting because the target of having more points in premier league Liverpool will not take the Europa league games serious,  but they are still doing well in their performance.

[slaman29]

No chance for Sevilla, nobody will see them in Europa this season unfortunately, I lost a lot because of them I thought their destiny was Europa. And in fact also no chance for United, equally out. To think both teams did so well in Europa, and played like shit in Champions League.

Best team to win it, still Liverpool? Klopp plays B squad there though so my doubts is heavy on them. Brighton? Maybe Villareal? lol

[casperBGD]

No chance for Sevilla, nobody will see them in Europa this season unfortunately, I lost a lot because of them I thought their destiny was Europa. And in fact also no chance for United, equally out. To think both teams did so well in Europa, and played like shit in Champions League.

Best team to win it, still Liverpool? Klopp plays B squad there though so my doubts is heavy on them. Brighton? Maybe Villareal? lol

yeah, Sevilla is out and that leaves a space for a fight there
Liverpool is certainly a best team in competition, but looking at odds tomorrow against Royale does bring a question
Union Royale win is @2.15, while Liverpool DC not to lose is @1.7, had to check did Royale rented some Haaland and Alvarez in attack for tomorrow, but they obviously didn't, it is just bookies prediction Liverpool would not be interested for tomorrow match
still, it is a value bet @1.7 them not to lose, IMO

[boltz]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

[LTU_btc]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

I wouldn't call it surprise. Maybe it sounds strange but Union Royale were favorites simply because they needed this win more than Liverpool. While LFC this time gave some rest for their key players. Anyway, win didn't helped Union to qualify as Toulouse won their game.
In general, quite boring last round as almost all games have no importance as most teams which qualified to the next round were already known.

[buwaytress]

^ Yeah, no ignominy in losing this. So many fresh faces, some cutting their teeth in Europe tonight, I don't think anyone's too unhappy with a narrowly lost away game.

Liverpool and all others who progress won't have to play again until March (!!) but up next are the playoffs between those who finished 3rd in UCL -- something to tide us over =)

[nurilham]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

I don't think it is very surprising because Liverpool already qualified for the next round and they used their second squad to play in the final match. Liverpool seems to have no intention playing seriously. Klopp only gives the time to play for substituted players. Meanwhile Royal Union played with their best lineup and they have a big intention to win the match. So, we can understand if Royal Union can win the match although Liverpool is much superior if we consider the squad quality.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

Leverkusen always played seriously, they don't want to waste any chance to win. I really appreciate Leverkusen, they show that they have a big ambition in this competition. I believe Leverkusen will reach the final round, and they probably will win the trophy of this competition.

[Abu-Naim]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

.
Liverpool have already qualified for the round of 16, which is why they did not look too serious about the match, but this loss is reducing their chances of being a strong candidate to win the Europa League because Leverkusen is displaying a quality performance and is yet to lose a single match both here in the Europa League and their domestic league Bundesliga. I am not giving Liverpool more hope again because they have busy fixtures in the Premier League and the title race is so tough that no one will accept defeat.

[arimamib]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

For me, That's not a surprise at all. they were playing with reserve players and even 4 academy players in the lineup. Liverpool has already secured the top spot in their group. In such scenarios, They put focus more on Premier League by resting their regular starters for the game against Manchester United. In fact, Liverpool never played with their best lineup in all their games in UEL group stage. It shows how strong Liverpoll as a team is, the favorite to win the trophy.

Union Saint-Gilloise getting a win in this game is also not affecting anything on their position in the group. This result is expected for them as they will play in Round of 16 of Conference League. this match serves as an opportunity for strategic decisions and squad rotation without the pressure of altering their group standing. Playing against Liverpool can be particularly beneficial to examine their display setup as they prepare for the upcoming knockout stages where each match becomes more crucial.

[BitcoinHunt3r]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

Yeah Liverpool and Leverkusen have taken places in the next round so actually this match did not have any impact on them but on the other hand Leverkusen does not give an opportunity to anyone who comes to their home will definitely be defeated, meanwhile Liverpool preferred to play safe they don't want to spend a lot of energy because lose or win does not have any impact on their position, as you said they would prioritize more important matches in the Premier League or in the next round they must be able to organize their schedule as best as possible.

This season it seems that the European League will be dominated by teams from the Premier League at least 3 teams are in a safe position to go to the next round West Ham, Liverpool and Brighton and I'm sure one of them will take a place in the final yeah maybe Liverpool. But what makes me wonder is why there is only one player from the Premier League who is on the top scorer list? I didn't see West Ham and Liverpool players there even though we know that in the Premier League there are Jarrod Bowen from West Ham and Mo Salah from Liverpool who are in the top 3 top scorers.

[bitzizzix]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

Yeah Liverpool and Leverkusen have taken places in the next round so actually this match did not have any impact on them but on the other hand Leverkusen does not give an opportunity to anyone who comes to their home will definitely be defeated, meanwhile Liverpool preferred to play safe they don't want to spend a lot of energy because lose or win does not have any impact on their position, as you said they would prioritize more important matches in the Premier League or in the next round.

These two teams are in a very comfortable and safe position in their respective groups, because Leverkusen and Liverpool are at the top of their respective standings so this match does not affect it.
Leverkusen appeared very consistent and continued to perform well and also always beat all the teams in group H, and in the match against Molde they did not care about their position which was certain to qualify for the next round. So whoever his opponent is will definitely be serious about beating him even with a big score, and maybe he wants to maintain his unbeaten record and always win in every Europa League Group H phase match.
And it is absolutely true as you said, Liverpool will probably play it safe against Union because the EPL is more important for Liverpool who are currently at the top of the standings, and in the next match Liverpool will face Manchester United in the EPL.

[Richbased]

Big surprise to see Liverpool being 2-1 down against Royal Union but on the same time they already won the group and they prefer to focus more for EPL games where they lead as well.

Leverkusen once again proves to be a great team and at this point for me they are the favorites to win it all.

It was really astonishing to see Liverpool lose their match today though they didn't play with their senior squad so it is expected and moreover, they have already qualified so their focus is more on the premier league. Apart from Liverpool losing their match, all other bigger teams did very well and scored lots of goals in their matches. I think Europa league this week is really interesting and I like the outcome of most of the matches because I believe most gamblers that placed bets base on odds given to the Europa teams will definitely record some winnings base on the fact that most outcomes of matches played accordingly.

For Bayern Leverkusen, they've been unstoppable and unbeatable and I commend their efforts so far, all what they need do is hold on to their brilliant and excellent performance in order to achieve more positive results.

[Strongkored]

For Bayern Leverkusen, they've been unstoppable and unbeatable and I commend their efforts so far, all what they need do is hold on to their brilliant and excellent performance in order to achieve more positive results.

Leverkusen indeed achieved perfect results in the group phase by win all the matches and what is no less impressive is that they became the team with at least 3 goals conceded in six matches and also scored the most goals of all the teams competing in this group phase, showing that they are very ready in the European league, even though the opponents they face are quite weak, when they enter the knockout phase Bayer Leverkusen will start to face real challenges because their opponents are teams with different qualities and also when they have to play two tough matches in one week it will really affect the results, so Xabi Alonso must have the right strategy to be able to keep his squad playing well not only in the Bundesliga but also in the European league to at least be able to reach the stage they reached last season, namely the semifinals.

[ILuckyGuyI]

I don't think it is important that Liverpool lost their last game. They already secured the leadership so there wasn't any need for them to show their best performance to win. It was an important game for Royale Union SG on the other hand so they made a really big effort to win the game by 2-1. Maybe they couldn't make it to last 16 but they have secured the Europa Conference League spot at least. 

If you noticed Klopp made a big rotation in the starting eleven also as it wasn't a critical game and there was no need to tire his main players too much. They have a more important game in the EPL against Manchester United at the weekend. Probably this rotation will help Liverpool win that game easier too. 

[slaman29]

I have to say, no United and no Sevilla makes it a really clear path to Europa for Leverkusen and Liverpool, I honestly hoped Newcastle at least reached playoffs but seems like their first timer luck ran out, what a shame!

Also didn't realize was a different format this season, now 3rd place has to fight second place Europa group to go through last 16. That seems fairer, rather than clear progress for champions league dropouts

[casperBGD]

~snip
Also didn't realize was a different format this season, now 3rd place has to fight second place Europa group to go through last 16. That seems fairer, rather than clear progress for champions league dropouts

yeah, that seems as more fair route
and you forgot Milan, they are good in cup competition, so they also can reach far in Europa league

maybe Feyenoord and Benfica as well, other dropouts will have hard time against 2nd placed teams in Europa league group stage to reach R16
on the other hand, last round win saw Ajax reaching Conference league, and with form in up trend, they are one of the favorites to win that one, for certain