Revenge will be in the air in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. Feyenoord and Roma reunite in a replay of the UEFA Conference League final, while Manchester United reunites with a Spanish side that has given them a hard time recently. Sporting CP return to Arsenal, while USG return to Germany.
This article, brought to you by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, walks you through the things to follow.
Quarter-final first leg, 13 April 2023
Feyenoord – Roma (18h45)
Man United – Sevilla (21:00)
Juventus – Sporting CP (21 heures)
Leverkusen – Union Saint-Gilloise (21:00)
hot spots
Rashford carries United against Spain
Marcus Rashford is in the shape of his life. He surpassed his best single-season tally in February, beat Cristiano Ronaldo in European goals for Manchester United in March and hopes to add a trophy or two in May. Among the five major European leagues, only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé have scored more goals this season. And bad news for Sevilla, the England striker is gaining momentum against La Liga teams.
Rashford didn’t score against Real Sociedad in the group stage but did find the net in United’s 4-3 aggregate success against Barcelona in the knockout stage play-offs before to score on the first leg and return against Betis in the round of 16. The 25-year-old now has Sevilla in his sights. When the six-time competition winner ended United’s Europa League ambitions in the 2019/20 semi-finals, Rashford was playing on the wing. It is now evolving at the peak.
Feyenoord in revenge mode against Roma
Revenge is best served cold and fate decided Feyenoord had the chance to take it after being offered the team that beat them 1-0 in the Europa Conference League final of the season. last. A match that was played on the smallest of margins, the coach of the Dutch team Arne Slot regretting: “You need a little chance and we lacked it. »
Leader of the Dutch championship, Feyenoord has not lost since the beginning of November and crushed Shakhtar 7-1 in the round of 16 return. Opposite, Roma’s results are up and down but they are still in the fight for the first four places in Italy and, on a good day, the Louve can take on anyone, at least at home. Away, the Giallorossi have more trouble, so if Feyenoord wants revenge for this defeat in the final, the Batavians will have to try to take off in their enclosure in Rotterdam.
Sporting is gaining momentum
It’s been a strange season for Sporting CP. The Lisbon club has sometimes roared like the lion that adorns its crest: at home against Tottenham and on the field of Frankfurt in the Champions League group stage, or in the battle royale against Arsenal in the round of 16. It was more laborious at other times: in the Portuguese League Cup final in January, during their European collapse in the fall, or even during their setbacks in the league.
But wouldn’t the peak of form arrive at the right time? That’s what former Portugal striker Nuno Gomes thinks. “They are on their best series of the season,” he warns. “And the attack is dangerous, not one particular player but several threats. They are ruthless on transitions. For the Italian team, it looks a little too much like Benfica, the other big Lisbon club, which beat the Bianconeri twice in the fall.
A bright future at Union SG
Only two teams have won more titles in the Belgian top flight than Union SG, but until a few years ago those glories of the past were history. Then everything changed. After almost half a century of absence, the Unionists have found the elite as if they had never left it, passing nearly a 12e title of champions for their return (the first since 1935).
Their reward was a first campaign in UEFA competition and, again, Union SG hit hard. Karel Geraerts’ young international side finished top of their Europa League group ahead of Union Berlin before beating the German capital club, who are strong in the Bundesliga, 6-3 on aggregate in round of 16. Their reward? A new trip to Germany, this time to challenge Leverkusen, who occupy the middle of the table.
2023 UEFA Europa League Final
The 2022/23 Europa League season will end at Puskás Aréna, Budapest on 31 May 2023.
Officially opened in 2019, the 65,000+ capacity stadium sits on the site of the former Hungarian national team stadium, which was also named after the former Honvéd striker. and from Real Madrid, Ferenc Puskás. The stadium is located in the Zugló district of the Hungarian capital.