Exciting Europa League

According to Transfermarkt, the total value of players in the Europa League round of 16 is currently 5.1 billion euros. The corresponding figure for the Champions League is 10.1 billion euros.

Of those, 10 clubs have a squad value higher than Lazio - the team that was just defeated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16. Liverpool and Leverkusen are leading the domestic league in the top 5 leagues in Europe. AC Milan has a rich tradition in the continental arena. West Ham, Brighton, Roma, Atalanta... are all quite interesting forces in every tournament they participate in.

The most notable matches of the round of 16 will be AS Roma - Brighton and Freiburg - West Ham. If all the giants can advance to the quarter-finals, the Europa League promises to be extremely attractive in the coming time.

However, this is only an assessment based on the strength of the teams. In reality, Liverpool, although having the strongest strength, is facing difficulties due to the storm of injuries and has to distribute its strength to too many arenas (currently competing for the Premier League and FA Cup).

The same goes for Leverkusen - the team leading the Bundesliga. Although they are 10 points ahead of Bayern in the championship race, coach Xabi Alonso will definitely still prioritize the strongest squad for the domestic arena.

In that context, teams without clear domestic goals such as Brighton, West Ham, AS Roma will have a higher chance. Winning the Europa League will bring them tickets to the Champions League next season, equivalent to entering the top 4 of the domestic league.

Notable matches in the early morning of March 8:

0:45: Qarabag - Leverkusen, Roma - Brighton, Sparta Prague - Liverpool

3 hours: AC Milan - Slavia Prague, Freiburg - West Ham, Marseille - Villarreal.