After the end of round 1/16, the top candidates for the Europa League 2020/21 championship including Man Utd, Arsenal, Tottenham and AC Milan all showed their right- timed strength to win tickets to the next round. Some notable teams that had to stop right from the first knockout round include Leicester, Bayer Leverkusen or Napoli.
The most notable name, Man Utd will face a really difficult challenge is AC Milan in the round of 16. Although the Rossoneri are no longer in their old position, it is clear that the Italian representative is still extremely formidable. Not to mention this season, under the leadership of coach Stefano Pioli, they have been leading Serie A for a long time and are still competing for the championship.
This will be the 11th time Man Utd and AC Milan have met in European competitions with an extremely balanced head-to-head record - each team has 5 wins. This nostalgic match can be considered an early final of the Europa League 2020/21, with the Red Devils playing the first leg at Old Trafford. Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will also have the opportunity to return to the "old home".
If Man Utd is " having a hard time breathing", the two remaining Premier League representatives can be satisfied with the draw in the round of 16. Arsenal avoided strong opponents but met Olympiacos, who eliminated them in the Europa League last year in extra time in the round of 16. Tottenham only have to face Dinamo Zagreb, the only time the two teams met was in 2008 when Spurs won 4-0 in the UEFA Cup group stage against a Zagreb of Mandzukic & lovren.
Some other notable matches include AS Roma - Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kiev - Villarreal and Ajax Amsterdam - Young Boys. The participating teams are all notable names in European football, considered to have the opportunity to create a surprise in this year's tournament.
The 1/8 round of the Europa League will be held from 11.3.2021 to 18.3.2021. The quarter-finals and semi-finals will both take place on March 19.
