Fallen Giants Bid for UEFA Europa League Glory

The last 16 of the UEFA Europa League gets under way this week in one of the most open draws for years, with most of the clubs remaining in the competition feeling they have a realistic chance of winning the tournament.

The tie of the round of the clash between Ajax and Marseille – both of whom have won the UEFA Champions League since it’s creation in 1992, but both of whom have fallen on hard times in recent years. The former giants meet on Thursday at the Stade Velodrome, having being forced to work hard to reach the last 16. Ajax’s Eredivise rivals FC Twente were eliminated by Marseille on penalties, while Marco van Basten’s men scored in the 88th minute to eliminate Italian side Fiorentina.

Manchester City are the sole remaining English side left in the competition and they take on their third Danish opponents of the season in the form of Aalborg, who were of course responsible for Celtic’s early exit from Europe.

Former tournament favourites AC Milan were eliminated in the last round by Werder Bremen – who are themselves struggling in the wrong half of the Bundesliga. Their reward is a tie with struggling Ligue 1 side St Etienne. France’s other representatives – Paris Saint Germain – take on SC Braga, who knocked Portsmouth out of the group stages.

The odds are in favour of the UEFA Europa League winner coming from Ukraine – with three teams left in the tournament. Two of them – Metalist Kharkiv and Dyanmo Kiev – face each other, just eight days after Dynamo won 2-0 in a top of the table clash, extending their lead at the top of the table to 9 points and avenging a 2-1 home defeat in early august.

Ukraine’s third representatives – Champions League dropouts Shakhtar Donetsk – face a tricky clash with 2004/05 UEFA Europa League winners CSKA Moscow. Shakhtar resumed their domestic campaign earlier this month, yet while the Army Men’s first Russian Premier-Liga match is not until 15 March, they do boast the competition’s leading scorer this term in ten-goal Vágner Love. Meanwhile, holders FC Zenit St. Petersburg will need to improve their record against Serie A opposition when they travel to Udinese Calcio, the sole Italian survivors. In four games against teams from the peninsula, Zenit have yet to win and Dick Advocaat has lost all three of his fixtures as a club coach in Italy.

Keep up to date with the latest football news and get all the results, previews and news involving the 2008/09 UEFA Europa League.