PARIS, Nov 25, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – In an unusually crammed and crowded
season, the Europa League, which resumes on Thursday with 26 group games,
presents clubs fighting for domestic glory with a tricky balancing act.
The English, Italian and Spanish league leaders, Tottenham, Real Sociedad
and AC Milan, 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 their managers are walking two
tightropes at once.
Real Sociedad, beaten at home by Napoli on the second matchday, have lost
veteran David Silva to a hamstring injury on 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 La Liga.
Real Sociedad’s only consolation is that Villarreal must cross the
Mediterranean twice as they visit second-place Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Group I.
Tottenham ony lead Group J on goal difference in head-to-head matches
ahead of Royal Antwerp and LASK Linz. They too lost a key veteran when
centre-back Toby Alderweireld suffered a groin muscle injury against
Manchester City on Saturday.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho came unstuck when he rotated his squad in
Antwerp and lost. Yet with a visit to third-place Chelsea in the Premier
League on Sunday, he may rest starters at home against winless Ludogorets.
That could give Gareth Bale a chance to score his first Europa League goal
since March 2013, when he hit the opener as Spurs eliminated Inter Milan in
the last 16.
– ‘Incredible amount of games’ –
AC Milan travel to Lille seeking not only for a victory, which would put
them top of Group H, but also revenge. Lille won 3-0 at the San Siro on the
last matchday with 23-year-old Turk Yusuf Yazici hitting his second hat-trick
of this year’s competition.
Milan will be without talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic who suffered a thigh
muscle injury in the Serie A victory over Napoli on Sunday.
Bayer Leverkusen, one point behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and
second in the unpredictable Group C, host Hapoel Beer-Sheva who are last but
still in contention.
Only four teams, Villarreal, Leicester, Arsenal and Hoffenheim, have won
all three matches. All can ensure a top-two finish and give themselves the
chance to rest players in the last two rounds.
Arsenal travel to Norway to face Molde, who are second in Group B, hard-
hit by injuries after Willian, with a muscle problem, and Bukaya Sako went
down against Leeds on Sunday, joining Thomas Partey among their wounded.
Mohamed Elneny and Sead Kolasinac missed that game after testing positive for
Covid-19.
“We have an incredible amount of games coming up,” said Arsenal manager
Mikel Arteta.
“Every team is going to face challenges with the amount of fixtures we
have. We will put out a team to compete.”
Group L leaders Hoffenheim visit Slovan Liberec while Leicester play at
second-place Braga in Group G.
Hoffenheim striker Munas Dabbur can carve a tiny niche in the record books
with a goal. The Israel international has scored 18 times in group-stage
games in the competition, tied for the most with former Athletic Bilbao
striker Aritz Aduriz.
And in this frenetic season, the competition is providing goals. There
were 93 on Matchday 3, breaking the old record of 81 set in 2010.