Three Premier League Clubs, and two La Liga clubs have reached the semifinals of either the Europa league or the Conference league, these competitions don’t reach the heights of the illustrious Champions League but winning a trophy would be quite an achievement for any of the remaining clubs in these competitions, all of which have battled adversity to reach this stage. Here is your look at the first legs of all four matches.
UEFA Europa League Semifinals
Bodo Glimt at Tottenham
(Thursday in London)
Bodo Glimt with an average squad age of just 25 and a transfermarkt value of 45 million first took the Norwegian league by storm, and now the Europa League, this heroic side from the far north of the country won four of the last five domestic titles and now have their first ever European Cup semifinal after a knockout phase set of wins against FC Twente, Olympiacos, and Lazio, a game they won on penalties.
For the Premier League “big six” club Tottenham, who last won a trophy in 2008, much maligned manager Ange Postecoglou could fulfill his promise of winning a trophy, while enduring such a shocking domestic season that it’s one of the worst records Spurs have ever compiled in the Premier League. Fans were restless but an away win by a goal against Frankfurt saw Tottenham into their first European semifinal since their famous win over Ajax in the Champions League semifinals some years ago. Tottenham beat AZ Alkmaar in the round of 16 after losing the first leg and will certainly not want to go down at home against Bodo Glimt with the return leg in the far north of Norway on turf looming.
A squad in transition with a transfermarkt value of 836 million, they dwarf Bodo on paper, but this is a side with three straight Premier League defeats, including a 5-1 thrashing against Liverpool in their last outing.
Danish star Kasper Waarts Hogh is the man to watch for Bodo as Tottenham’s defence has been a sieve at times. Dominic Solanke and the loanee Mathys Tel lead the Spurs attack, the players won’t be lacking motivation, but fans aren’t quite sure how to feel about this matchup. Tottenham should leave London with a lead, but is it enough? Prediction: Tottenham 2 Bodo/Glimt 1
Manchester United at Athletic Club Bilbao
(Thursday in Bilbao)
Athletic Bilbao sit fourth in La Liga and are well positioned to start the next season in the Champions League, the pride of the Basque country, they have a unique opportunity to lift a Europa League trophy in front of home fans, as Bilbao is the host of the final. Bilbao last reached a Europa League final in 2011, and wins over Roma and Rangers during the knockout phase has put them in this position. Over the course of the season, they have been the strongest club in Spain outside of the current “big 3”.
Manchester United can win a trophy under Ruben Amorim despite their similarly terrible domestic form as Spurs. United looked dead on their feet at Old Trafford in the quarterfinals against French giants Lyon but engineered a 5-4 comeback during the extra time phase (7-6 on aggregate) that will go down in club history and European football history as one of the best extra time periods you will ever watch. They beat Spanish side Real Sociedad, the rivals of Bilbao, in the round of 16, and will now return to Basque country.
Manchester United saw rivals Liverpool match their domestic titles total of 20 on the weekend, now Bruno Fernandes will look to keep the Williams brothers in check, while another Danish player, Rasmus Hojlund is the strike man for the Red Devils.
Bilbao are a well coached side, and Manchester United are not one to shut down the opposition lately, a draw would suit them before they host the return leg, and draws have been a common factor on the scoresheet for Manchester United for a while now. Prediction: 2-2 Draw
UEFA Conference League Semifinals
Chelsea at Djurgarden
(Thursday in Stockholm)
Will Chelsea’s massive spending and transfer moves finally lead to a European trophy? The London blues are fighting to reach the Champions League next season, while they look to win their first European trophy since the 2021 Champions League. In the Conference League, they eased past Copenhagen and then secured a second leg win over Legia Warsaw in the knockout stages.
A squad worth 922 million in Transfermarkt and brimming with young talent, they battle the pride of Stockholm, Djurgarden, who are only valued at 21 million and scored wins over Pafos and Rapid Wien to reach this phase. This competition was meant for clubs like Djurgarden to get the spotlight, but can they withstand the might of Chelsea and leave their home leg with a lead?
Chelsea may struggle playing on turf, but Djurgarden has never played a game this big in club history, Chelsea’s rotated XI would still be significant favorites over the Swedes. Cole Palmer will look to get on the scoresheet, and I expect Chelsea will eventually break down the Djurgarden backline, look for Chelsea to not leave anything to doubt here. Prediction: Chelsea 2 Djurgardens 0
Fiorentina at Real Betis
(Thursday in Seville)
Like Bilbao, Real Betis are a proud club with a deeply loyal fanbase, shrewd transfer moves have positioned them to rise in both European competition and the La Liga table where they sit 6th in striking distance of the Champions League next season. This is Betis best ever run in Europe, they defeated Gent, the Portugese side Vitoria and Poland’s Bialystok to reach this phase.
The pride of Florence, Fiorentina, won a European trophy in 1961 and is seeking a third consecutive appearance in the final of the Conference League. They sit 8th and are fighting for Europe in their domestic competition, after defeating Panathinaikos, and Celje from Slovenia to reach this stage of the tournament. Both sides were favored to make it this far, and this is now a clash of relatively big clubs in Europe.
Playing at home in front some of the most passionate fans in Spain, Betis will look to get off to a winning start, Manuel Pellegrini has made good use of Antony from Manchester United, former Real Madrid man Isco and Colombia’s Cucho Hernandez, a transfer from MLS who has three goals in 10 La Liga matches and may come off the bench for this one. The resurgence of Antony, and the talent that US player Johnny Cardoso has in this Betis system are a couple of storylines in this game, while another former Manchester United player, David de Gea is in goal for Fiorentina, and Moise Kean is their star striker. The story of these clubs is one rejuvenation and resurgence, playing at home, and in their best form of the season, Betis should be the one who puts a foot in the final. Prediction: Real Betis 3 Fiorentina 1
Main Photo Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
