One of the most entertaining series was Werder Bremen vs. Sampdoria in which Bremen ultimately lost 3-2 on the scoreboard but advanced thanks to extra time strike that gave the German team a 5-4 win on aggregate. Tottenham also recovered from a shock 3-2 defeat in Switzerland to thrash Young Boys, 4-0 and move on. Liverpool survived to stay in the Europa league, but Aston Villa could not do the same and neither could Celtic, who both exited European competition after shock defeats.
For EPL fans both Manchester United and Arsenal received favorable draws, while Tottenham drew Inter Milan as well as Werder Bremen another dangerous team. It's tough to say how difficult Chelsea's group will be with Russian power Spartak Moscow and a very dangerous Marseille team, but I know nothing about MSK Zilina.
I also think both Barcelona and Bayern Munich will be pleased with their draws whereas Real Madrid and AC Milan, who were drawn for a second successive year into the same group, probably are not too thrilled.
Just looking at how everything stacks up I would say Group A featuring Inter Milan, Tottenham, Werder Bremen and FC Twente is the strongest followed closely by Group G with Real Madrid, AC Milan, Ajax, and Auxerre.
I think the group with the most parity is Group B headed by Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. None of these teams are exactly household names in the states but Lyon were semifinalists last year and are generally the best team in France. Benfica are the biggest team in Portugal and have won more league titles than any other team in their country. Schalke are a team hardly anyone knows about from the Bundesliga, but are extremely dangerous. And Hapoel are definitely no slouch.
The Europa League is another story all together. Most new followers to the game don't know much about the competition that often produces many memorable games. These are the teams that finished in the second tier in their domestic leagues. In England, Spain, Germany, and Italy they are the teams that finished somewhere between third and sixth. In smaller leagues like Scotland, Holland, Portugal the teams in Europa may have finished as high second in their domestic leagues.
To be honest I don't know a lot about a lot of these teams, but it's a great competition to follow because it is often where many of the young, up-and-coming talent comes from where big clubs like Chelsea or Real Madrid or Inter Milan or Bayern Munich scout looking for the next big thing.
And the great thing about both leagues is that they are now very well televised. Champions League games air on Fox Sports World and the Comcast channel around here on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Europa League games air on both Fox Sports World and GOL TV on Thursdays and Fridays.
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