[Dismantling]Europa League draws Italians to occupy 3 seats in the top 8- Now Sports

【Now Sports】The top 8 of the Europa League will be drawn on Friday. Italy has a total of 3 seats, which can be said to be elated.

The Italian teams have failed to reach the quarter-finals for the past two consecutive years, but this year the situation is quite different. After the Milan duo had previously secured promotion, the Serie A leader Napoli also successfully eliminated the Bundesliga Frankfurt on Wednesday, making the Italian state-owned 3 teams advanced. The last time a total of 3 Italian teams reached the top 8 was in 2005/06 (Milan duo and Juventus), and the last time the Serie A team won the Europa League, it has been traced back to Inter Milan in 2009/10. Under the leadership of Molino, the Nerazzurri completed the triple crown.

England failed to continue the momentum of having three teams in the quarter-finals this year, and there are still Manchester City and Chelsea competing for the crown. As for the performance of the Spanish teams this year, the performance is slightly disappointing, only the defending champion Real Madrid is left, but the team is the hegemony among the Europa League hegemons in recent years, which is enough to support the prestige of Spanish football.

Europa League veteran Bayern Munich advances as usual, while Benfica has become the only representative of a team not in the top five leagues for two consecutive terms. On Friday, the top 8 and top 4 will be drawn together. So far, there are no restrictions, and the chance of infighting cannot be ruled out. The first round of the top 8 will be staged on the 11th and 12th of next month, and the second round will be played on the 18th and 19th.

Europa League quarter-finals
Chelsea (England)
Manchester City (England)
Real Madrid (Spain)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Benfica (Portugal)
Inter Milan (Italy)
AC Milan (Italy)
Napoli (Italy)

The top 8 combinations in the past 10 seasons
Season Spain England Italy Germany France Other
2022/23 1 2 3 1 0 1
2021/22 3 3 0 1 0 1
2020/21 1 3 0 2 1 1
2019/20 2 1 1 2 2 0
2018/19 1 4 1 0 0 2
2017/18 3 2 2 1 0 0
2016/17 3 1 1 2 1 0
2015/16 3 1 0 2 1 1
2014/15 3 0 1 1 2 1

Image credit: ©AFP