Milan had a 50-50 chance of encountering one of the toughest sides in the Europa League but narrowly managed to avoid danger in the Round of 16 draw.
The Rossoneri may have suffered a 3-2 loss to Rennes in their Thursday evening clash, but their strong work in the first leg saw them progress to the Round of 16 with a 5-3 aggregate win. Joining them in the next stage were Atalanta, who topped their group, and Roma, who beat Feyenoord.
With Milan out of the running in Serie A and Coppa Italia, the Europa League represents the club’s last opportunity to lift a trophy this season, something that could be decisive for the future of Stefano Pioli in the dugout.
UEFA carried out their Europa League Round of 16 draw at their headquarters in Nyon today and Milan were forced to wait to learn their fate in the knockout stages, having to watch team after team be drawn.
With Atalanta drawing Sporting CP and Roma drawing Brighton, that left Milan as one of the last few teams to be paired up, and they were quickly left in an uncomfortable position for a few brief moments.
John O’Shea first grabbed Milan’s ball before reaching into the other pot, which contained only two teams – Slavia Praha, their eventual opponents, and Xabi Alonso’s high-flying Bayer Leverkusen.
After a few painful seconds, Rossoneri fans were able to breath a sigh of relief after Slavia Praha’s name was read aloud.
The Scudetto is done when it is mathematically over. Yes, Inter may win but there is still a long way to go. Never count your chickens until they are hatched! Forza Inter!
breath a sigh of relief? Can you please point me towards B.Leverkusen’s pedigree in European competition? 1 unexpected final appearance 2 decades ago. Pipe down, please.
It can work both ways. Leverkusen might be so obsessed with the league that they go easier in the EL, while S Prague could go all-out and cause Milan problems. Milan’s attitude may also be worse, given they got the “easier” draw on paper. But
Milan and Fiorentina will be happy enough , while Atalanta and Roma have 2 tricky ties.
With current Milan state, any opponents are superior to Milan.