A huge shock and two more affordable matches. The French clubs, second in their group in C3, were not spoiled in the same way for the draw for the knockout stages of the Europa League. FC Nantes will face Juventus Turin on February 16 and 23, while Stade Rennais and AS Monaco will have to cross swords respectively with Shakhtar Donetsk and Bayer Leverkusen. But if the French clubs will attract attention, these C3 play-offs will also be marked by the duel at the top between FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
Juve – FC Nantes! After their qualification on the last day thanks to a victory (2-0) in Piraeus against Olympiakos, the Nantes residents had cried out their dream of shooting Juve or FC Barcelona. They have been served. La Beaujoire will receive the Bianconeri. And if the Old Lady had a sluggish start to the season, the Turinese, who came out of the C1 with five defeats in six matches, began to raise their heads with four straight wins in the league. And in February, Juve will surely not have the same face when Federico Chiesa will have regained rhythm and Paul Pogba should have resumed.
Ligue Europa
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This duel will also bring back good memories to fans of FC Nantes. It will indeed be a remake of the 1996 Champions League semi-final, won by Juve (2-0, 2-3). A memorable memory for the people of the Loire. “We couldn’t do better. We will play against an institution“, savored Franck Kita, deputy general manager of FC Nantes, on Canal +. “It’s a dream match. Can’t wait for the month of February”.
If the Nantes residents are rubbing their hands with this already highly anticipated shock, Rennes and Monegasques are not left out. It is not necessarily linked to the CV of their opponents even if we are still talking about two former winners of the C3 (1988 for Bayer, 2009 for Shakhtar) but the two will have their say next February.
Ambitious, the Bretons will again challenge a Ukrainian team accustomed to the European Cups but struck by the war. After Dynamo kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk will face Rennes. And if the teammates of the nugget Mykhaylo Mudryk held Real Madrid in check (1-1) at home this season after beating Leipzig at the opening of the C1 (1-4), it is not the ogre that the Red and Black could fear.
Barcelona – Manchester United, duel at the top
For Monaco, it will be a reunion with Bayer Leverkusen. And if it is not in C1 this time, the ASM will especially find a team which has had a very complicated start to the exercise in the Bundesliga and is still in 14th despite a small awakening in the wake of Moussa in particular. Diaby, again author of a double last weekend against Union Berlin (5-0). But in three months and after the World Cup, everything may be different for the former 2002 Champions League finalist, now coached by Xabi Alonso, who finished ahead of Atlético Madrid in their C1 group thanks to a victory against the Colchoneros and two draws.
The big poster of these dams will oppose Robert Lewandowski’s FC Barcelona to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United. And if any doubt remains about the presence of CR7 for this double shock when rumors send him away from Manchester during the next transfer window, an opposition between the Red Devils and the Blaugrana is bound to make your mouth water. If they are in a more complicated pass for various reasons – which explains their presence in this less prestigious competition – the two giants have met twice in the Champions League final (2009 and 2011). Something to bring back good memories and experience thrilling Thursdays.
The draw of the dams
- FC Barcelone – Manchester United
- Juventus – FC Nantes
- Sporting CP – Midtjylland
- Shakhtar Donetsk- Rennais Stadium
- Ajax Amsterdam – Union Berlin
- Bayer Leverkusen – AS Monaco
- Sevilla FC – PSV Eindhoven
- Salzburg – AS Roma
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