Rennes, Toulouse, and Marseille, all securing 2nd place in their respective Europa League groups, are set to go through play-offs to advance to the round of 16. Their play-off opponents will be teams demoted from the Champions League. The outcome of the play-off draw will determine the best and worst scenarios for Stade Rennais, Toulouse FC, and OM.
The fate of these clubs will be revealed in the Europa League play-off draw for the last 16 at 1 pm on Monday, December 18. Despite securing second place, Stade Rennais missed a direct entry to the last 16 following a defeat to Villarreal on the group’s final day. Now, Julien Stéphan’s team is slated to face a third-placed team from a Champions League group.
Toulouse FC are following the same path. By winning their recent match against Linz (1-2) last Thursday, the Violets have reached the knockout phase of a European competition for the first time in their history.
Despite a 1-0 defeat at Brighton, OM were unable to maintain their top spot and will also be forced into the play-off phase.
In the play-offs, scheduled for 15 and 22 February, the three French clubs could face seven different opponents. Explore the best and worst potential draws.
Qualified teams for the Europa League knockout stage. The knockout round play-off draw will take place on Mon 18th 2023.
— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) December 15, 2023
Who is likely to win the 2023 #UEL, with europa league kings Sevilla out of European competition?#RadullKE pic.twitter.com/QGyrjvuWul
The Ideal Draw for Rennes, Toulouse, and Marseille
On paper, two teams seem more advantageous than the rest: Shakhtar Donetsk and Young Boys Bern. It’s important to highlight that in the previous year, the Ukrainians eliminated Rouge et Noir at the same stage of the competition (3-3 on aggregate, 5-4 on penalties). This season, the Donbass club secured a noteworthy Champions League victory against Barça (1-0). However, they ended up behind both Barcelona and FC Porto in the group stage standings.
Conversely, Young Boys Bern concluded their Champions League campaign with four points. The Swiss team, with limited choices, experienced defeats in all their matches against Manchester City and Leipzig.
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