Europe presents teams with second tightrope
PARIS • In an unusually crammed season, the Europa League, which resumes today with 24 group games, presents clubs fighting for domestic glory with a tricky balancing act.
Tottenham, Real Sociedad and AC Milan – the English, Italian and Spanish league leaders respectively – as well as Bundesliga high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen, have all slipped up already in Europe’s second-tier competition and cannot afford another mistake.
Yet the demands of a condensed season mean the teams are walking two tightropes at once.
Sociedad lost veteran David Silva to a hamstring injury last Sunday ahead of their trip to Group F leaders AZ Alkmaar.
Yet even as they travel to the Netherlands, they need to plan for Sunday’s crucial game against Villarreal, who are third in the Spanish La Liga.
Their only consolation is that their La Liga rivals must cross the Mediterranean twice to visit second-placed Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel in Group I.
Spurs lead Group J on goal difference in head-to-head games ahead of Belgium’s Antwerp and Austrian outfit Lask.
They lost key centre-back Toby Alderweireld, who suffered a groin muscle injury in the league win over Manchester City on Saturday.
Manager Jose Mourinho came unstuck when he rotated his squad in Antwerp last month and lost.
Yet with a visit to third-placed Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, he may again rest players against winless Ludogorets.
That could give Gareth Bale a chance to score his first Europa League goal since March 2013, when Spurs eliminated Inter Milan in the last 16.
Milan travel to Lille seeking not just a victory that would put them top of Group H, but also revenge after losing 3-0 to the Ligue 1 side at the San Siro. They are without talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is out with a thigh injury.
Only four teams – Villarreal, Leicester, Arsenal and Hoffenheim – have won all three matches. All can ensure a top-two finish today and give themselves the chance to rest players in the last two rounds.
The Gunners will travel to Norway to face Molde, second in Group B. Mikel Arteta’s men are stumbling in the Premier League, having failed to score from open play in five games, and will be without the injured Willian, Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey.
Mohamed Elneny and Sead Kolasinac are still recovering from Covid-19, but the Arsenal manager said his side will go in search of the away win.
“We have an incredible amount of games coming up,” said the Spaniard. “Every team is going to face challenges with the amount of fixtures we have. We will put out a team to compete.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE