Why you should watch the Europa League knockouts

UEFA has hosted the Champions League and the Europa League simultaneously for many seasons. More attention is paid to the Champions League, for good reason, but this has led to many amazing performances from the Europa League going under the radar.

Villarreal’s run to the 2020/21 final was brilliant, but it was overshadowed by the flashier Chelsea win in the Champions League that same season.

Both competitions are competing for the same number of neutral fans, so here is a list of reasons why you should consider watching more Europa League games for the rest of the season.

It feels like a league title race

The Champions League is aptly named. It is made up of mostly league champions with a small quota of clubs that finished outside of the first place in their leagues participating. For that reason, the winners are likely to be defending league champions who either successfully defend their league title or finish in the Champions League places.

With the Europa League, it is different.

More often than not, one team rarely plays in three straight Europa League seasons. The same is true for this season, which has Olympique de Marseille, AC Milan, AS Roma, West Ham United, Liverpool, Villarreal, Sporting CP, Glasgow Rangers, Atalanta and so on racing to win the title.

Each of these teams is entertaining and always leaves fans wanting more. Fans who pay attention never look back after one season because there is always something fresh to discover.

It is a haven for neutrals who want to enjoy the sport without emotional attachment.

No Sevilla in 2023/24

It has become a running gag in football spaces that Sevilla always seeks an early Champions League exit to drop down into the Europa League, which happens to be where they have found the most success in their history.

The Andalusians have won it a record seven times, which is four more than the team in second place. This season, however, they flunked out of Europe by finishing last in their Champions League group, giving opportunities to other teams to claim the Europa League title.

Racing to the title this year are Liverpool, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, AC Milan, AS Roma – who lost to Sevilla in last season’s final – West Ham United, who are the current holders of the Europa Conference League and dark horses Brighton and Hove Albion.

The current iteration of Sevilla may not have made it past any of these teams but without them in the mix, the excitement levels are higher.

There are also quite a few promising matchups like Marseille vs Villarreal and Brighton vs Roma. Fans in the know are already purchasing their tickets to these games using seatsnet.com, the trusted ticket reselling platform. Marseille tickets in particular are in very high demand.

The games begin soon. Grab a ticket or tune in.

Victor Boniface vs Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Romelu Lukaku

Sure, the Champions League has Victor Osimhen, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. It also has Bukayo Saka and Robert Lewandowski.

But the Europa League has a tough three-way battle between Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille) and Romelu Lukaku (Roma).

Aubameyang is currently leading the goalscoring charts for the season and has also become the competition’s all-time leading scorer. Boniface, who is injured and working towards a quarter-final return, is not too far behind with four goals. He is the current holder of that golden shoe and will be counting on his Leverkusen teammates to remain in the competition until he gets back.

Lukaku, meanwhile, is in their middle with six goals and also eyeing the Golden Boot.

These are three brilliant strikers who are Champions League-level, competing in the Europa League. This is a neutral’s dream.

Jürgen Klopp comes full circle

Earlier in the season, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp announced that he would be departing the club at the end of the season.

Speaking in an interview on the club’s website, Klopp said: “I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people at this moment when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it – or at least try to explain it.

“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.”

“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now. Obviously, I knew already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again”.

It is quite a fairytale because the Europa League was where Klopp started at Liverpool. He failed to win it thanks to Sevilla and now, he has the opportunity to win it without them in the picture.

The German tactician has been to a total of four European finals in the last nine years (one Europa and three Champions League). This could be his fifth, which will cement his position as one of the best managers in European football.

The man has a big challenge, however. He will have to do it without 12 key players, including Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Alisson, whose injuries do not heal until much later in the season.

This is a story worth following. It starts with Sparta Prague on 7 March 2024. Tickets to the Sparta Prague vs Liverpool game are live on seatsnet.com.

Klopp also has a chance to win the quadruple, a first in England, if he wins this season’s Europa League. Witnessing him do it live will be worth it as a football fan.