World Soccer - UK (2021-10)

It’stheEuropaLeague,butnot

quite as we know it.UEFA’ssecondary

competitionisnowmuchmore

streamlined,withfewersidestaking

partin qualifyinganda groupstage

reduced from 48 teamsto32.

Therewillalsobea brand-new

preliminaryknockoutroundfeaturing

therunners-upfromeachgroup and

thethird-placedteamsfromthe

ChampionsLeaguegroupstage.

OncethoseChampionsLeague

teamsdropin,the dynamicsofthe

EuropaLeaguecanchange,butfor

thepastthreeyearsithasbeen

wonby a sidewho’veparticipated

inthistournament’sgroupstage.

Norecentwinners arepresent

asthisseason’s editionkicksoff,but

defendingchampionsVillarrealare one

ofthe past winnerswhocouldfeasibly

dropfromtheChampions Leagueinto

thatpreliminaryknockoutround.

Destination Seville

JamesNaltontakesalookatthecontendersforthisseason’srevampedEuropaLeague...

FRENCHFANCIES

2018 finalistsMarseillearepresent,

though,andhavealreadycaughtthe

eyewithsomeimpressivesigningsin

pre-season.Wingers Konraddela

Fuente andCengiz Under join from

BarcelonaandRomarespectively, while

FrenchduoWilliam SalibaandMatteo

Guendouziarrive from Arsenalon loan.

ThemainMarseillesigning to lookout

for,though,mightbe 24-year-old

midfielder Gerson,who wontheCopa

LibertadoreswithFlamengo in 2 019.

TheBrazilianislookingto make a go

ofhis secondstintinEurope having

previouslyspenta coupleofseasons

inSerieA withRomaand Fiorentina.

TheircoachJorge Sampaoliwon

theCopaSudamericana– theSouth

American equivalent of theEuropa

League– with UniversidaddeChile

in 2011 and, thoughhisMarseille

sideareoutsiders, thiscouldbea big

chanceforthe Argentinetofinally

makeasimilarimpressioninEurope.

After toppingthe Ligue1 tablefora

fewweeksin themiddleoflastseason,

Lyoneventuallydropped down to fourth,

missingoutonthechance to qualifyfor

ChampionsLeague footballby finishing

twopointsbehind third-placedMonaco.

Theclubhave,somewhatun-popularly,

soldhomegrown talentsAmineGouiri

andMelvinBardtofellowLigue1side

Niceinrecent seasons,buthavehigh

hopes forotheracademy products such

asRayanCherkiandMaxenceCaqueret.

Starplayerandlastseason’stopscorer

MemphisDepay alsodeparted–to

Barcelona– soLesGoneswillbelooking

toMoussaDembeleandCameroonian

strikerKarlTokoEkambitoreplace

theDutchman’sattackingprowess.

Loanstar...Guendouzi

Finalhost...Seville’s

RamonSanchez

Pizjuanstadium

EUROPALEAGUE 2021 - 22