World Soccer - UK (2020-12)

IN CONTENTION

DARK HORSES

By the time the final comes around in
May, the curse of Bela Guttmann will
be almost 60 years old. The last man
to lead Benfica to a European trophy
famously declared: “Not in a hundred
years from now willBenficaever be
European champions again,” and so far
he has been right. No side has lost more
European finals, most recently in back-
to-back Europa League finals against
Chelsea in 2013 and Sevilla in 2014.
The man in charge of those defeats
wasJorgeJesus, who returned to the
club in August having won the Copa
Libertadores with Flamengo. After a
busy summer, he may well be optimistic
of ending the curse. Outstanding young
centre-back Ruben Dias has been
replaced by experienced duo Nicolas
Otamendi andJan Vertonghen, with
forwards Luca Waldschmidt, Darwin
Nunez and Everton also arriving to
give Benfica a squad of both know-
how and talent.
HowLeicester Cityapproach the
competition will be intriguing. Premier
League sides often struggle to strike a
balance between the Europa League

On a similar mission areNapoli,
who suffered their worst league finish
in a decade last season. The early signs
are promising for last year’s Coppa Italia
winners though, having thrashed Genoa
6-0 in their second game of the season.
Star of the show that day was Belgium’s
Dries Mertens, with the 33-year-old
determined to prove that he is still top
dog in Naples following the arrival of
€60m man Victor Osimhen.
Since the competition was rebranded
from the UEFA Cup in 2009, the trophy
has ended up in Spain seven times.

Overseeing three of those was Unai

Emery, winning back-to-back finals

from 2014 to 2016, before reaching

the 2019 final with Arsenal. Now in

charge ofVillarreal, Emery is trying to

rebuild his reputation after struggling

in the Premier League. After finishing

fifth in La Liga last season, the Yellow

Submarine have made up for the loss

of Santi Cazorla by adding Dani Parejo

and Francis Coquelin. The experienced

coach will make his team tough to beat,

while the front two of Gerard Moreno

and Paco Alcacer have started strongly.

and their domestic commitments, yet

Brendan Rodgers has built a squad of

genuine depth. Playing in Europe for the

first time since reaching the Champions

League quarter-finals in 2016-17, the

Foxes must be considered contenders.

Bayer LeverkusenandRomawill

also expect to reach the latter stages,

although whether their reconfigured

attacks can take them all the way

remains to be seen. The Germans have

signed Patrik Schick to replace last

season’s top scorers, Kai Havertz and

Kevin Volland, while the Italian side

have added a wealth of experience

in the form of Pedro (Chelsea) and

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Arsenal).

The two other Spanish sides in this

season’s group stage will also be worth

watching.Real Sociedadimpressed by

finishing sixth in La Liga, and the vast

experience of David Silva will more

than make up for the loss of star man

Martin Odegaard, who returned to Real

Madrid following his impressive loan.

Granada, meanwhile, were an even

bigger surprise package in last season’s

La Liga, finishing level on points with

Sociedad. Although they have retained

their impressive Venezuelan stars

Darwin Machis and Yangel Herrera

(on loan from Manchester City), last

season’s top scorer Carlos Fernandez

has returned to Sevilla.

There will be hope for German side

Hoffenheim, who qualified for the

competition with a 4-0 victory over

Borussia Dortmund on the final day

of last season, and are managed by

Sebastian Hoeness. The 38-year-old

has been a coach in Bayern Munich’s

academy for the last three years, but

will hope to follow in the footsteps

ofJulian Nagelsmann, the hugely

promising RB Leipzig head coach,

who made his name at Hoffenheim.

In the last 24 years, Marseille are the

only French side to reach the final, but

that could change this year.Lillehave

handled the loss of Victor Osimhen and

Gabriel Magalhaes as well as could be

expected, quickly replacing them with

Canada goal machineJonathan David

and Dutch defender Sven Botman. The

rest of the squad that finished fourth

in Ligue1 has largely remained intact,

and is packed with potential.

Looking beyond the big leagues,

two-time winnersFeyenoordhave

made an encouraging start to the

season thanks to the exceptional form

of skipper Steven Berghuis. In Serbia,

Red Star Belgradeare on course for

their fourth league title in a row having

won their first ten matches of the season.

Having to play in an empty stadium,

however, will significantly reduce the

fear factor for visitors to Belgrade.

Curse-ender...

Benfica coach

Jorge Jesus

Dark horses...Lille

have an exciting

young squad

Playmaker...

David Silva

EUROPA LEAGUE