EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW: POSSIBLE OPPONENTS

On Monday 18 December, AC Milan will know who - among the seven possible opponents - they will face in the UEFA Europa League playoffs. A play-off which will involve 16 teams in total: eight teams who, like the Rossoneri, finished in third place in their Champions League group and the same number who finished second in their respective Europa League groups. The first leg is scheduled for 15 February, 2024, while the return game will take place on the 22nd of the same month. But first, let's approach the draw by looking at our potential opponents better.

Rules
The draw will take place on Monday 18 December at the House of European Football in Nyon (Switzerland) starting from 13:00 CET. At this stage of the competition, there are no matches between teams belonging to the same national federation, and therefore the Rossoneri will not be able to meet Mourinho's Roma, second in Group G. The 16 teams participating in the draw will be divided into seeded teams, i.e. the eight second-placed teams in the Europa League group stage, and unseeded, the eight third-placed teams in the Champions League group stage. The seeded teams will play the second leg at home.

FREIBURG (GER)
Freiburg will be looking to improve on their run from the 2022/23 season, where they reached the round of 16, its best finish in the competition. Streich's men surprisingly finished second in Group A on twelve points, ahead of Olympiacos and TSC Backa Topola, but behind West Ham. The Germans lost only the two matches against the English side, scoring 17 goals in the process, led by the Italy international Vincenzo Grifo, with six goals and other assists.

MARSEILLE (FRA)
Marseille, second behind Brighton in Group B, is led by two old Rossoneri acquaintances: Coach Gattuso on the bench and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in attack. The Italian coach, who took over from Marcelino at the end of September, was able to turn the tide after a below par start to the season. Only the last crunch match with De Zerbi's team denied them finishing top of the group, but Les Phoceens were able to overcome Ajax and AEK Athens. Gattuso's team score a lot but concede just as many, with 14 goals scored and ten conceded in six matches. The aforementioned Aubameyang - five goals - but also former Serie A players such as Veretout, Correa and Pau Lopez are the key men of the three-time runners-up. Marseille knows the competition well and the Vélodrome is always passionate.

QARABAĞ (AZE)
Undisputed dominator of their domestic league, Qarabağ has have got through the group stages of the Europa League for the first time in their history. Second place in Group H, behind Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, is an important and deserved achievement for the Azerbaijan team, who managed to earn ten 10 points, finishing ahead of Norwegians Molde and Swedish Häcken. It's a lavish trip, with striker Juninho the man to watch out for.

RENNES (FRA)
Stephan's team saw their lead in Group F disappear late in injury time, after being beaten at home on the final matchday by Villareal 3-2. The home defeat only partially affected Rennes' great run, who managed to finish ahead of Maccabi Haifa and Panathīnaïkos, who they brilliantly beat in the two matches. The Rouge et noire can count on the right mix of interesting youngsters - such as the former Bologna player Theate - and more established elements such as Matić and Mandanda. An average of over two goals per game is a good thing to go into the play-offs with.

SPARTA PRAGUE (CZE)
Coach Priske's team has so far proven solid and combative, especially in front of their home crowd. Qualification arrived at the last minute thanks to three goals away from home at bottom-of-the-group Aris Limassol, but it came at the expense of the most highly rated Betis, defeated 1-0 on matchday 5. AC Milan and Sparta Prague have already faced each other eight times in all competitions, the most recent in the Europa League in 2020/21: 3-0 for Pioli's team at San Siro with Díaz, Leão and Dalot on the scoresheet, and a 1-0 win in Prague thanks to Hauge's goal. The Czechs currently lead their league, ahead of rivals Slavia, with former Parma and Sassuolo head coach, Haraslín, in charge.

SPORTING CP (POR)
A team on the rise and who in recent seasons has also been able to interrupt Porto and Benfica's domination in the league. The Leões have performed well in Europe too, being stopped only by Juventus in the quarter-finals last season. The Portuguese held Atalanta to 1-1 draw in Bergamo, but defeat in the first game forced them settle for second place behind Gasperini's side. A constant presence in the competition, Amorim's Biancoverdi were runners-up in the 2004/05 season. Hjulmand runs the midfield, but the attack is their real strength: Gonçalves, Gyökeres, Edwards are the young, explosive front three, with former Barcelona player Trincão. Previous meetings with the Rossoneri are in our favourt with victories in the two-legged UEFA Cup semi-final in Lisbon.

TOULOUSE (FRA)
Having qualified thanks to an unexpected and historic French Cup win last season, Toulouse have surprised once again and collected eleven points from a tough group, which included Liverpool, Union St. Gilloise and LASK. Notable was the 3-2 win over the Reds at the Stadium de Toulouse. Instead, things aren't quite going their way in the league, although Martinez's side have stopped PSG, Marseille and Lille from victory. Dallinga is the team's leading scorer with four goals.

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