And yet, in the highest European football authorities were convinced that the tournaments must be finished. It only remained to choose the format because time was running out. Interrupted season in the national championship barely ended, and already soon will start the next one. And in this period had to somehow manage to hold the competition.
the Decision was made competent: all matches as the playoffs of the Champions League and Europa League will take place in the same country. Accordingly, – in Portugal (Lisbon) and four German cities (Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf and Cologne). The Champions League will end on August 23, the Europa League two days earlier in Cologne.
Today, the Central match of the day is to acknowledge the opposition of “inter” and “Getafe” in Gelsenkirchen. Since these commands before suspending the season is not time to spend the first game, the winner of the duel will be determined by the outcome of one meeting.
Before this fight in the camp of “inter” a scandal erupted. Head coach of “blue-black” Antonio Conte burst into an angry tirade against the club management. And he did it publicly: at a press conference after defeating Atalanta (2:0), thanks to which inter finished second in the Italian championship.
– I don’t think our players work recognized properly. We received little support from management. A big club should protect its players, coaches. However, the guys managed to rally, and for that I am very grateful to them. The problem is that I have the vision. I see which way we need to go and what to do. I’m easy to take criticism: I can be a lightning rod in the first season. But if you don’t learn and continue to make the same mistakes, then it’s crazy – open up the economy.
As you can see, in the camp of “inter” extremely troubled before the match with “Getafe”. You can not say about the Spanish club, which every year, with a modest budget, struggling for a place in the UEFA Cup and reach the play-offs. By the way, in the group stage of the Europa League, the team from the suburbs of Madrid met with the “Krasnodar” and double-beat it: 2:1 and 3:0.
of the eight confrontations of the 1/8 Europa League final first leg has not taken place yet in one pair – the record holder for number of titles in the tournament, Sevilla and Roma. The game of these two teams will be held in Duisburg. To call it a favorite is almost impossible. Both teams have proven themselves during the end of the season. But the locals, unlike the opponent, made it to the Champions League zone. And the Romans, despite all efforts, remained in fifth place in the national championship.
Return matches remaining six pairs of 1/8 finals, importantly, did not take place in Germany, and at home receiving teams. Talking about the following oppositions: “Manchester United” – CARESSES (first game 5:0), “Copenhagen” – “Istanbul Basaksehir” (0:1), “Basel” – “Eintracht”(3:0), “Wolverhampton” – “Olympiakos” (1:1), “Bayer” – “Rangers” (3:1) and “Shakhtar” – “Wolfsburg” (2:1).
August 5, Wednesday, “Match TV”
19.45 Shakhtar (Ukraine) – “Wolfsburg” (Germany). Video stream
21.50 “inter” (Italy) – Getafe (Spain). Video stream
“Match! Football 1”
21.50 “Manchester United” (England) – LASK (Austria). Video stream
“Match! Football 2”
19.45 “Copenhagen” (Denmark) – “Basaksehir Istanbul” (Turkey). Video stream
