The draw for the round of 16 of the Europa League was made this Friday. Olympique de Marseille inherited Villarreal.
The draw for the round of 16 of the Europa League took place this Friday. The only French club still in the running after the simultaneous eliminations of Lens, Toulouse and Rennes the day before, Olympique de Marseille knows the name of its opponent in the next round. So it will be Villarreal. An opponent within reach of Jean-Louis Gasset’s men, but beware of Marcelino’s men. The former (and very brief) OM coach at the start of the season could well have a desire for revenge.
They could have fallen on much heavier, but they therefore avoided big clubs such as Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, and to a lesser degree Atalanta. The Phocaeans will, however, have to be wary of a Villarreal team which no longer shines in La Liga, which currently occupies thirteenth place, light years behind the European tickets, but which had managed to beat Stade Rennais twice in the play-off phase. groups of this Europa League. Note that it is OM who will receive the first.
No big shock
The other matches will offer some great oppositions, including an enticing Sporting-Atalanta, or even an AS Rome-Brighton which could offer a great spectacle. For the rest, AC Milan is doing rather well, falling against Slavia Prague. The first legs will take place on March 7 (with the exception of Sporting) and the returns are scheduled for March 14.
The complete draw of the 8th
Sparta Prague-Liverpool
OM-Villarreal
AS Rome-Brighton & Hove
Benfica-Glasgow Rangers
Freiburg-West Ham
Sporting-Atalanta
AC Milan-Slavia Prague
Qarabag-Bayer Leverkusen
