Europa League 2025-26

[Demitri_C]

Do people think that Unai will really go for this competition and if necessary drop off the Premier League?  By winning this we would get Champions League next season by only having fewer important games than League games. He could keep the top players fully available to win this and get us back to where they want to be.

As it stands we have to as i dont believe the team is strong enough and has enough goals in it to finish top 5

[eye digress]

Maybe. But you make a big rule change, give people more than a couple of days to read the new rule and act accordingly.

Can't have been that opaque - Forest twigged on and sorted themselves out. More likely that Palace didn't really think they'd qualify, in my view, and so did ot act.

[cdbearsfan]

Regardless, there is no real need to introduce a rule change and only let people know a couple of days in advance.

[Meanwood Villa]

Our old pals Zrinjski drop into Europa League third qualifying round

[Somniloquism]

So has Red Imps, KuPS and Hanrun.

[Demitri_C]

Our old pals Zrinjski drop into Europa League third qualifying round

I would be ok playjng them. We made hard work of it but they are not good at all

[darren woolley]

Be good to draw Roma and Porto at Villa Park two massive names in European football for big European nights.

[AV82EC]

Be good to draw Roma and Porto at Villa Park two massive names in European football for big European nights.

I’m going for one of those away Darren. Actually they’re both in Pot 1 so we can’t have both at home in the League stage anyway.

[cdbearsfan]

I'd like us to have played all the European Cup Winners in competitive games as that seems the sort of thing a "big club" should do. We only managed to add Celtic last year, and then PSG added themselves after our season was over.

So, list as below (haven't included English clubs as they're too easy):

GOT

Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Hamburg, Inter Milan, Juventus, PSG, Steaua Bucharest

NEED

Benfica**, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord**, Marseille, Milan, Porto*, PSV, Real Madrid, Red Star Belgrade**

* team in Europa League Group Stage
** team in Champions League qualifying rounds, could drop into Europa League

[Bosco81]

I'd like us to have played all the European Cup Winners in competitive games as that seems the sort of thing a "big club" should do. We only managed to add Celtic last year, and then PSG added themselves after our season was over.

So, list as below (haven't included English clubs as they're too easy):

GOT

Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Hamburg, Inter Milan, Juventus, PSG, Steaua Bucharest

NEED

Benfica**, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord**, Marseille, Milan, Porto*, PSV, Real Madrid, Red Star Belgrade**

* team in Europa League Group Stage
** team in Champions League qualifying rounds, could drop into Europa League

I like that one, is there any in the need column we’ve not even played in a friendly, I don’t remember us playing Real before and possibly not Red Star.

[cdbearsfan]

We have played Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord and Porto in friendlies, and play Marseille next month.

I can't any reference to us ever having played Milan, PSV, Real Madrid or Red Star.

Our kids played PSV in the NextGen Series.

[Bosco81]

We have played Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord and Porto in friendlies, and play Marseille next month.

I can't any reference to us ever having played Milan, PSV, Real Madrid or Red Star.

Our kids played PSV in the NextGen Series.

Surprised we haven’t played Milan somewhere down the line, we would have played Real in the mighty Peace Cup final but they lost to Juventus in the semis, before we smashed Juve on pens in the final

[cdbearsfan]

Alessandro Del Piero still sees Brad Guzan in his nightmares.