Last year it was a tale of so close, yet so far in the Europa League for the Serie A teams.
Napoli and Fiorentina both made the semi-final of the competition but both suffered defeats across the respective two leg-ties to bow out.
This year, on the road to Basel, the Italians host three clubs through to the elimination phase with a strong field of the 32 total clubs left. Italy has Fiorentina, Lazio and Napoli left in the competition as it welcomes clubs that fell at the Champions League group stage.
Lazio have got the unfortunate task of facing one of these teams: Galatasaray. For Fiorentina, they host English club Tottenham and Napoli has Spaniards Villarreal.
None of these ties make for easy matchups for the Italian clubs. Fiorentina will be looking to repeat last year’s feat when they drew Tottenham in the same round. That ended with a 3-1 aggregate win after their 2-0 win in the second and home leg of the tie.
Lazio have been struggling in the domestic league this season, currently sitting in 12th. However, their Europa League form has been a lot stronger, finishing five points clear at the top of their group as they look to carry this form forward in a big clash against Gala.
The final Italian club to examine is Napoli. They have won every game so far in the Europa League and have barely looked tested all tournament. Villarreal is not the easiest matchup, but it could have been worse for them. Only recently in Serie A have they shown some weaknesses, yet they still have the ability to go just as far as last year’s semi-final appearance, if not further.
While some teams including Manchester United and Sevilla may have been perceived to have drawn more favourable opponents, the Thursday night matches are never a walk in the park as it is with elimination football, which some teams are more accustomed to than others.
In terms of the three Italian clubs, Lazio will more than likely be the next to exit after struggling domestically with Galatasaray on the horizon. Fiorentina may also struggle against Tottenham but have history behind them . Napoli, based on their form and particularly that of their attack, have the ability to beat Villarreal and with future draws going in their favour may take them all the way but may yet be tested by Fiorentina.
At the same time, Fiorentina is the only Italian team to have the first leg at home, which can be advantageous in getting a good start though not always vital.
Unfortunately for all European football fans, it is going to be a long wait as the next round of the Europa League is not until 16 February, with second legs commencing on the 24th.
[interaction id=”5673a1b78161d222327467ac”]
Round of 32 draw
Valencia (ESP) vs Rapid Wien (AUT)
Fiorentina (ITA) vs Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs FC Porto (POR)
Fenerbahçe (TUR) vs Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS)
Anderlecht (BEL) vs Olympiacos (GRE)
Midtjylland (DEN) vs Manchester United (ENG)
Augsburg (GER) vs Liverpool (ENG)
Sparta Praha (CZE) vs Krasnodar(RUS)
Galatasaray (TUR) vs Lazio (ITA)
FC Sion (SUI) vs Braga (POR)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) vs FC Schalke (GER)
Marseille (FRA) vs Athletic Bilbao (ESP)
Sevilla (ESP) vs Molde (NOR)
Sporting CP (POR) vs Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Villarreal (ESP) vs Napoli (ITA)
St-Étienne (FRA) vs FC Basel (SUI)
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
