(Photo credit - Martin Abegglen)
The Champions League’s little brother concluded its quarterfinal stage last night, and the draw is imminent. The ties were just as exhilarating as Europe’s premier competition, with 17 goals scored in the four second leg fixtures.
Whilst being overlooked in years gone by, Europa League glory is no trivial matter, given it now offers a ticket to the group stages of the Champions League, bailing out any teams missing qualification due to their league position.
No matter the result of the draw at Friday lunchtime, the ties will be high calibre. The Europa League, of course, has one more knockout round than the Champions League: running the knockout gauntlet is no easy feat. No combination will be a disappointment, but some ties might make for more interesting viewing than others.