⚽UEFA Europa League Discussion Thread -- 2025/26 | Group Phase

[LTU_btc]

So far there is no upsets, but we have two games which reached extra time. Celje - Sabah looks very interesting, aggregate score is 5:5 and both games endedwith a bit crazy 2:3 away team wins.
Hapoel Beer Sheva and Levski didn't managed to score a goal in 180 minutes and this game goes to extra time as well.

Shaktar Donets, who beat Ilves 6-0 in the first leg, advanced to the next round with a 0-0 draw away against Ilves today.
They will face Beşiktaş in the next round.
Based on Beşiktaş's current performance in friendly matches, Shaktar Donets appears likely to eliminate Beşiktaş from the cup.
Beşiktaş has also abandoned the transfer of Kyle Walker Peters. They urgently need to sign a right-back. Shaktar Donets currently looks ready for both the league and the Europa League knockout stages.

I wouldn't say so by only looking atresults of friendly games. For me it's more or less 50/50 pair, but I hate fact that one of these teams will get eliminatedalready after 2nd qualifying round (!!!). While some farmers teams will reach group stage. Besiktas - Shakhtar pair wouldn't look bad in knockout stages, not some early qualifiers.

[Proty]

Lyon FC and Crystal Palace are owned by the same partnership group. They both qualify for the Europa League but due to the Multi- club ownership rules of UEFA both teams cannot play in the same competition if they are owned by the same group. One has to forfeit the competition for the other to play. Some people argue that Manchester City and Girona were allowed to play in the same UCL competition last season despite City football Group holding 44% in Girona shares and 100% in Manchester City, but the truth is that they placed their Girona shares on blind trust to be managed by an independent UEFA approved panel which secured compliance with UEFA rules and the both teams were allowed to play.

This indeed a very serious issues that calls for a greater concern and it will really be a bad idea if one of the clubs is out as a result of ownership issue. UEFA should try as much as they can to put things in place by balancing this. If man city was able to scale through similar thing, I believe that lyon and palace can still follow the same step that man city used and it will definitely work for them. So I see no reason why it shouldn't work for palace and Lyon. Rules are made for every body and not for some few person and rules should always be fair and offenders should always be treated equally, irrespective of connection

[Jaycoinz]

Lyon FC and Crystal Palace are owned by the same partnership group. They both qualify for the Europa League but due to the Multi- club ownership rules of UEFA both teams cannot play in the same competition if they are owned by the same group. One has to forfeit the competition for the other to play. Some people argue that Manchester City and Girona were allowed to play in the same UCL competition last season despite City football Group holding 44% in Girona shares and 100% in Manchester City, but the truth is that they placed their Girona shares on blind trust to be managed by an independent UEFA approved panel which secured compliance with UEFA rules and the both teams were allowed to play.

This indeed a very serious issues that calls for a greater concern and it will really be a bad idea if one of the clubs is out as a result of ownership issue. UEFA should try as much as they can to put things in place by balancing this. If man city was able to scale through similar thing, I believe that lyon and palace can still follow the same step that man city used and it will definitely work for them. So I see no reason why it shouldn't work for palace and Lyon. Rules are made for every body and not for some few person and rules should always be fair and offenders should always be treated equally, irrespective of connection

Rules are made for everybody but in a tight situation there is always a loop hole in those rules and I guess that's what  Manchester city actually did but in the case where the rules don't have a loop hole to exploit then I guess the victim will just have to dance to the consequences that follows the rule. I think it's already clear that crystal palace will be the one to miss out on the Europe competition.

[BALIK]

After winning the first leg 6-0, Shakhtar Donetsk players did not give much effort in the second leg match. Shakhtar Donetsk played defensively against Ilves. And the match ended goalless.

Partizan vs Larnaca match is the most competitive match today. Both teams played quite well in the first leg match. Larnaca was able to secure a 1-0 win at home. No team has scored a goal in the first half so far. Since Larnaca won the first match, their target in this match is a draw. And naturally, the team played defensively. On the other hand, Partizan has not been able to score any goals despite making several strong attacks. The match is now most likely to be a goalless draw.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

Lyon FC and Crystal Palace are owned by the same partnership group. They both qualify for the Europa League but due to the Multi- club ownership rules of UEFA both teams cannot play in the same competition if they are owned by the same group. One has to forfeit the competition for the other to play. Some people argue that Manchester City and Girona were allowed to play in the same UCL competition last season despite City football Group holding 44% in Girona shares and 100% in Manchester City, but the truth is that they placed their Girona shares on blind trust to be managed by an independent UEFA approved panel which secured compliance with UEFA rules and the both teams were allowed to play.

This indeed a very serious issues that calls for a greater concern and it will really be a bad idea if one of the clubs is out as a result of ownership issue. UEFA should try as much as they can to put things in place by balancing this. If man city was able to scale through similar thing, I believe that lyon and palace can still follow the same step that man city used and it will definitely work for them. So I see no reason why it shouldn't work for palace and Lyon. Rules are made for every body and not for some few person and rules should always be fair and offenders should always be treated equally, irrespective of connection

Maybe you didn't pay attention very well to my write-up, there's a reason Manchester City was allowed to participate alongside Girona in last year's UCL competition.  Below is the reason both participated

Some people argue that Manchester City and Girona were allowed to play in the same UCL competition last season despite City football Group holding 44% in Girona shares and 100% in Manchester City, but the truth is that they placed their Girona shares on blind trust to be managed by an independent UEFA approved panel which secured compliance with UEFA rules and the both teams were allowed to play.

They were not just allowed, but acted accordingly to fall under compliance. Maybe there would be a workaround for Palace and maybe Lyon's being demoted to Ligue2 due to financial challenges can be their lifeline.

[Lida93]

Lyon FC and Crystal Palace are owned by the same partnership group. They both qualify for the Europa League but due to the Multi- club ownership rules of UEFA both teams cannot play in the same competition if they are owned by the same group. One has to forfeit the competition for the other to play. Some people argue that Manchester City and Girona were allowed to play in the same UCL competition last season despite City football Group holding 44% in Girona shares and 100% in Manchester City, but the truth is that they placed their Girona shares on blind trust to be managed by an independent UEFA approved panel which secured compliance with UEFA rules and the both teams were allowed to play.

This indeed a very serious issues that calls for a greater concern and it will really be a bad idea if one of the clubs is out as a result of ownership issue. UEFA should try as much as they can to put things in place by balancing this. If man city was able to scale through similar thing, I believe that lyon and palace can still follow the same step that man city used and it will definitely work for them. So I see no reason why it shouldn't work for palace and Lyon. Rules are made for every body and not for some few person and rules should always be fair and offenders should always be treated equally, irrespective of connection

Rules are made for everybody but in a tight situation there is always a loop hole in those rules and I guess that's what  Manchester city actually did but in the case where the rules don't have a loop hole to exploit then I guess the victim will just have to dance to the consequences that follows the rule. I think it's already clear that crystal palace will be the one to miss out on the Europe competition.

I think Manchester city ownership case with Girona had a different undertone from what crystal palace and Lyon are currently facing. City's owners were too fast to make certain changes in the ownership holdings percentage which created the difference in theirs to what Lyon and crystal palace are currently facing. It's truly unfortunate for palace after fighting to earn a European ticket for next season but they just have to accept their fate.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

Rules are made for everybody but in a tight situation there is always a loop hole in those rules and I guess that's what  Manchester city actually did but in the case where the rules don't have a loop hole to exploit then I guess the victim will just have to dance to the consequences that follows the rule. I think it's already clear that crystal palace will be the one to miss out on the Europe competition.

I think Manchester city ownership case with Girona had a different undertone from what crystal palace and Lyon are currently facing. City's owners were too fast to make certain changes in the ownership holdings percentage which created the difference in theirs to what Lyon and crystal palace are currently facing. It's truly unfortunate for palace after fighting to earn a European ticket for next season but they just have to accept their fate.

I get it, was thinking Lyon's demotion would stand in their way in competing in the European competition, but history has it that it's possible to compete from lower divisions with Sunderland amidst others who've completed from lower divisions. I kind of wonder why Crystal Palace was handed the competition demotion instead of Lyon? A wild guess would be that Lyon qualified naturally, but Crystal Palace by benefit of winning the FA cup.

I hope their attorneys gets their way while possibly appealing FIFA's decision.

[Smack That Ace]

Partizan vs Larnaca match is the most competitive match today. Both teams played quite well in the first leg match. Larnaca was able to secure a 1-0 win at home. No team has scored a goal in the first half so far. Since Larnaca won the first match, their target in this match is a draw. And naturally, the team played defensively. On the other hand, Partizan has not been able to score any goals despite making several strong attacks. The match is now most likely to be a goalless draw.

Ohhhho !! I also thought that Partizan would not be able to score any goals. And Larnaca would be leading 1-0 to qualify for the next round. But in the 69th minute of the match, Partizan took the lead through a goal by Ognjen Ugresic. Larnaca won the first match 1-0.

After 80 minutes, Partizan is leading 1-0. Both teams have now increased the pace of attack. Larnaca played defensively until the goal was conceded, but now the team is trying to score.

The match between Hapoel Beer Sheva vs Levski Sofia has also become quite competitive. The first leg match between these two teams was a goalless draw. This match is also now tied 1-1. Neither team could score in extra time. The result of the match will be decided by a penalty shootout

[Mayor of ogba]

After winning the first leg 6-0, Shakhtar Donetsk players did not give much effort in the second leg match. Shakhtar Donetsk played defensively against Ilves. And the match ended goalless.

Shakhtar Donetsk cut my bet yesterday. I was carried away by Shakhtar Donetsk's dominance against Ilves in their first leg, and it made me play Shakhtar Donetsk to win against Ilves at home without thinking twice. It was after I played Shakhtar Donetsk to win Ilves that I realized the game could likely end in a draw and there was no cashout option because I used a voucher to play the bet.

[TelolettOm]

Shakhtar Donetsk cut my bet yesterday. I was carried away by Shakhtar Donetsk's dominance against Ilves in their first leg, and it made me play Shakhtar Donetsk to win against Ilves at home without thinking twice. It was after I played Shakhtar Donetsk to win Ilves that I realized the game could likely end in a draw and there was no cashout option because I used a voucher to play the bet.

So sorry to hear that, mate.
But considering their dominance in League One, it's understandable. It's perfectly normal to be so confident about a win in the second leg. But it turns out, all games and bets carry risks. Perhaps because they already won big with a 6-0 aggregate, they didn't want to push too hard against the opposition, keeping their squad fit.

But Shakhtar Donetsk doesn't seem to be using their full first-tier squad. I'm a bit unfamiliar with their lineup, but judging by this picture, it's quite different:

Source: FC Shakhtar Donetsk

[CLS63]

Shakhtar Donetsk cut my bet yesterday. I was carried away by Shakhtar Donetsk's dominance against Ilves in their first leg, and it made me play Shakhtar Donetsk to win against Ilves at home without thinking twice. It was after I played Shakhtar Donetsk to win Ilves that I realized the game could likely end in a draw and there was no cashout option because I used a voucher to play the bet.

This kind of matches are always risky mate. They already got a huge 6-0 score advantage. They didn't need to do anything else other than keeping the aggregate to the end.

Now Shakhtar's next opponent is Beşiktaş. I would like to say this above all else. Turkish teams have always been really bad in opening matches of a season. They don't manage to get ready. This is an important advantage for Shakhtar to benefit from.

[Nheer]

Shakhtar Donetsk cut my bet yesterday. I was carried away by Shakhtar Donetsk's dominance against Ilves in their first leg, and it made me play Shakhtar Donetsk to win against Ilves at home without thinking twice. It was after I played Shakhtar Donetsk to win Ilves that I realized the game could likely end in a draw and there was no cashout option because I used a voucher to play the bet.

Eyah so sorry about your bet bro, that's how those things happen but I am surprised how you didn't know and didn't expect this kind of result. When a team already has such goal gap in aggregate from the first leg they usually don't play the second leg with utmost seriousness because they know it will be difficult for the opponent to turn things around. Some teams don't even play their entire starting eleven they give chances to the reserve teams so you can't expect them to perform as they should.
I believe you have now learned something and this kind of mistake will not happen again.

[LTU_btc]

Eyah so sorry about your bet bro, that's how those things happen but I am surprised how you didn't know and didn't expect this kind of result. When a team already has such goal gap in aggregate from the first leg they usually don't play the second leg with utmost seriousness because they know it will be difficult for the opponent to turn things around. Some teams don't even play their entire starting eleven they give chances to the reserve teams so you can't expect them to perform as they should.
I believe you have now learned something and this kind of mistake will not happen again.

I already got burned few times betting on favorite after they got huge win in 1st leg. Now I'm careful with similar bets.
Anyway, now I can't wait to see Shakhtar vs Besiktas. As I already said, such game wouldn't look bad in group or even knockout stages, but now we got it so early in qualifiers.

I will say a big congratulations to PSG on their historic Champions League victory! Their game play during the competition was spectacular -- they deserved that trophy. Their performance in the final between Inter Milan was a surprising one to watch Btw.

It will be something of interest to see PSG defend their title next season. As for next season's champion league, I guess either an English or Spanish team will win the trophy. The improvement so far in English teams and the Spanish as well is massive, with the recruitment of new star players to their squad, I doubt any other league will win that trophy. These very two nations have consistently produced top teams that have excelled on the several European stages.

WTF you're spamming. It's not even Champions league topic. And what's the point to write this stuff 2 months after final.

[Sandra_hakeem]

WTF you're spamming. It's not even Champions league topic.

That was my bad!
 I've been watching my screen for too long and mistook the "UEFA champions League" for the "UEFA Europa League" - Obvious reasons being that they both have the same abbreviation at the beginning. Additionally, I barely post in here unless I have some updates on very important matches that include some teams from the premier League and so on.
 

[darxiaomi]

Shakhtar Donetsk is not only a huge team for this stages of Europa League but also they always have a very good people at work in the job of catching great south american players, and better to said brazilians players, they always have 4 or 5 brazilian guys who are super good in their team.

Fernandinho Williams and a lot more in the past for example.

[Mayor of ogba]

Shakhtar Donetsk cut my bet yesterday. I was carried away by Shakhtar Donetsk's dominance against Ilves in their first leg, and it made me play Shakhtar Donetsk to win against Ilves at home without thinking twice. It was after I played Shakhtar Donetsk to win Ilves that I realized the game could likely end in a draw and there was no cashout option because I used a voucher to play the bet.

Eyah so sorry about your bet bro, that's how those things happen but I am surprised how you didn't know and didn't expect this kind of result. When a team already has such goal gap in aggregate from the first leg they usually don't play the second leg with utmost seriousness because they know it will be difficult for the opponent to turn things around. Some teams don't even play their entire starting eleven they give chances to the reserve teams so you can't expect them to perform as they should.
I believe you have now learned something and this kind of mistake will not happen again.

I know that since Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Ilves 6-0 in their first leg of UEFA Europa League qualification, they will not be that serious in the second leg because even if they play a draw match, Shakhtar Donetsk will still proceed to the next round of the UEFA Europa League qualification, but I didn't know what really happened to me, and I added Shakhtar Donetsk to my bet slip.

[SuperBitMan]

Lyon FC and Crystal Palace are owned by the same partnership group. They both qualify for the Europa League but due to the Multi- club ownership rules of UEFA both teams cannot play in the same competition if they are owned by the same group. One has to forfeit the competition for the other to play. Some people argue that Manchester City and Girona were allowed to play in the same UCL competition last season despite City football Group holding 44% in Girona shares and 100% in Manchester City, but the truth is that they placed their Girona shares on blind trust to be managed by an independent UEFA approved panel which secured compliance with UEFA rules and the both teams were allowed to play.

This indeed a very serious issues that calls for a greater concern and it will really be a bad idea if one of the clubs is out as a result of ownership issue. UEFA should try as much as they can to put things in place by balancing this. If man city was able to scale through similar thing, I believe that lyon and palace can still follow the same step that man city used and it will definitely work for them. So I see no reason why it shouldn't work for palace and Lyon. Rules are made for every body and not for some few person and rules should always be fair and offenders should always be treated equally, irrespective of connection

Rules are made for everybody but in a tight situation there is always a loop hole in those rules and I guess that's what  Manchester city actually did but in the case where the rules don't have a loop hole to exploit then I guess the victim will just have to dance to the consequences that follows the rule. I think it's already clear that crystal palace will be the one to miss out on the Europe competition.

I think Manchester city ownership case with Girona had a different undertone from what crystal palace and Lyon are currently facing. City's owners were too fast to make certain changes in the ownership holdings percentage which created the difference in theirs to what Lyon and crystal palace are currently facing. It's truly unfortunate for palace after fighting to earn a European ticket for next season but they just have to accept their fate.

This is very sad after fighting to make sure they qualify and this just happened, however was John Textor not aware that for the fact that he holds that amount of stake in both club they won't be allowed to participate in the same competition he should have known this and even if he those not know someone who has more knowledge about the rules and regulations of UEFA who have told him so he could move some share to a neutral person.
Now for those who don't understand what is happening here UEFA ruled that Crystal Palace and Lyon cannot both participate in the same European competition next season due to multi-club ownership rules, and because of the rules that they have I'm not sure they will be able to participate until John Textor has moved some of his share to another person but I don't think there's time for it anymore however I head that Crystal Palace have officially appealed the decision of the UEFA to Court of Arbitration for Sport so let's just wait and hope that everything changes and they allow them to participate but the only solution will be that John Textor moves some of his share or stake to a neutral person.
Good luck to both club.

[Abbatty]

After winning the first leg 6-0, Shakhtar Donetsk players did not give much effort in the second leg match. Shakhtar Donetsk played defensively against Ilves. And the match ended goalless.

Partizan vs Larnaca match is the most competitive match today. Both teams played quite well in the first leg match. Larnaca was able to secure a 1-0 win at home. No team has scored a goal in the first half so far. Since Larnaca won the first match, their target in this match is a draw. And naturally, the team played defensively. On the other hand, Partizan has not been able to score any goals despite making several strong attacks. The match is now most likely to

[CLS63]

Shakhtar started their training with their new coach Arda Turan much earlier than Beşiktaş. He has great methods to make his players ready for a tough fight. Now he is only focusing on tactical training.

Beşiktaş have barely started on the other hand. And they still have weak areas and need immediate transfers. I'm afraid I don't see them reaching the next round here. Most probably they would continue their journey in the Conference League.

[fuguebtc]

Shakhtar started their training with their new coach Arda Turan much earlier than Beşiktaş. He has great methods to make his players ready for a tough fight. Now he is only focusing on tactical training.

Beşiktaş have barely started on the other hand. And they still have weak areas and need immediate transfers. I'm afraid I don't see them reaching the next round here. Most probably they would continue their journey in the Conference League.

Shakhtar are toward the front, Arda Turan has started tactical training too soon, and he has already impressed us in friendlies and Europa qualifiers. But don't count on Besiktas, under Solskjaer they are set to face Shakhtar in a straight line in Round 2, also they are trying hard to carry on being in Europe. So transfers may still come, but strategically they are not pushovers, right? I would say it is too advanced to rule them out, this clash could go either way be conditional on the final preparations in Istanbul & late signing.