The Europa League calendar is already filling up with the schedule feeling even more hectic than usual.
The final of last year’s competition only took place at the end of August, Sevilla beating Inter Milan 3-2 in Cologne.
The likes of Tottenham, Rangers, and AC Milan entered the 2020-21 campaign at the second qualifying round while Celtic enter straight into the third.
Spurs travelled to Bulgaria on Thursday evening, coming back from behind to beat nine-man Lokomotiv Plovdiv thanks to late goals from Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele.
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, meanwhile, thrashed Gibraltan minnows Lincoln Red Imps 5-0.
The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 September in Nyon, Switzerland so both sides already know who they face next. Here’s everything you need to know:
When is 3rd qualifying round?
Having progressed past Plovdiv, Jose Mourinho’s men will return to action on 24 September away to Macedonia’s Shkëndija.
There will be 70 teams in the third qualifying round. They will be divided into the “Champions Path” and the “Main Path” and both sets will feature losing teams from the Uefa Champions League second qualifying round.
The group stage begins on 22 October.
3rd qualifying round draw
- Hapoel Beer-Sheva vs Motherwell
- Sheriff vs Dundalk
- Riga vs Celtic
- Sporting Lisbon vs Aberdeen
- Shkendija vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Willem II vs Rangers
British and Irish sides only. See the full draw on Uefa.com
A real shot at silverware?
Spurs secured Europa League football on the final day of the 2019-20 season, but Arsenal’s FA Cup win subsequently forced them into the qualifiers.
Even with a longer fixture list, Mourinho has talked up his side’s chances of winning the competition and repeating the feat he achieved with Manchester United in 2017.
That means the Portuguese is set to field a relatively strong line-up at the Lokomotiv Stadium.
Harry Kane is expected to start but Dele Alli has not travelled amid questions over his future.
Lengthy though it may be, the Europa League campaign still represents one of the club’s best chances of ending what will soon be a 13-year wait for silverware.
Yet the fixture list is unrelenting and Southampton await in the Premier League on Sunday.
Speaking at Tottenham’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Plovdiv game, Eric Dier said their schedule showed “no care for players’ physical welfare”.
For the manager sitting next to him, it comes down to this. Mourinho was brought in to win a trophy and it hasn’t escaped him that he will need to prioritise certain competitions if he is to deliver one.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2FuWPPS
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