Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers gestures.
DPA/Berlin
Sevilla reigned supreme in the Europa League in the last two seasons but their latest success earned them a spot in the Champions League, meaning European football’s second-tier competition is looking for a new winner from a healthy list.
Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk performed a miracle in reaching last term’s final despite the turmoil in their country and they pushed Sevilla all the way in a 3-2 defeat in Warsaw.
They start the road to May’s final in Basel with a tough Group G opener on Thursday at home to Italy’s Lazio, who were primed for the Champions League before losing to Bayer Leverkusen in the playoffs.
Italy provided both losing semi-finalists last season in Napoli and Fiorentina. They are back for another crack this term with the lure of a Champions League spot for the overall winners adding spice to a previously maligned competition.
Former winners Napoli take on Club Brugge in their first Group D match with both sides having been eliminated last season by Dnipro.
The Naples side will have no fans in two stands of the San Paolo after smoke bombs were lit in May during the semi-final first leg.
Former Napoli star Diego Maradona has criticised president Aurelio De Laurentiis for allowing coach Rafael Benitez to go to Real Madrid and replacing him with Maurizio Sarri.
“I would have kept Benitez,” Maradona told Naples television network Piuenne. “Someone made a mistake and we are seeing it on the pitch.”
Fiorentina open their Group I campaign at home to Basel.
Striker Giuseppe Rossi returned to the starting lineup at the weekend after being out for 14 months and Paulo Sousa could use him against the coach’s former club.
Liverpool, who won the competition’s pre-cursor the UEFA Cup in 2001, must forget their poor Premier League form when they take on the tricky ask of visiting Bordeaux in Group B.
In contrast, Borussia Dortmund are flying at the top of the Bundesliga and a home clash with Russia’s Krasnodar should pose few problems.
Other big name clubs in this season’s Europa League include former winners Ajax, who made a hash of Champions League qualification so must be content to start their Europa League quest at home to Celtic, which also boasts Fenerbahce and Molde.
Ajax were humbled in the Champions League qualifiers by Rapid Vienna but the Austrians failed in the subsequent playoffs so join them with Thursday night European appointments.
Group E hopefuls Rapid host Villarreal, who are in good heart after a 3-1 win at Granada took them up to fourth in La Liga.
The Yellows will make the trip without injury victims Roberto Soldado and Tomas Pina.
However, anchorman captain Bruno Soriano is back after a two-week lay-off.
“It is very important for us to start off with a good result,” said Spain international Soriano.
“This will not be an easy group (with Viktoria Plzen and Dinamo Minsk too). We should not think that we are overwhelming favourites to finish top - that would be a mistake.”
With four-times winners Sevilla making up an unprecedented five-strong Spanish contingent in the Champions League, La Liga is a little under represented in the Europa League although Athletic Bilbao welcome Bundesliga surprises Augsburg in Group L.
