What lies ahead for Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Europa League
By Tushar Bahl
Borussia Dortmund were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening, and they will now be playing in the UEFA Europa League after the winter break.
Borussia Dortmund suffered UEFA Champions League elimination on Wednesday following their 3-1 defeat to Sporting CP. The Black and Yellows are now guaranteed to finish third in their group and will drop into the UEFA Europa League.
Due to changes to the competition’s format this season, Borussia Dortmund will not directly enter the knockout phase of the Europa League. Instead, they will face one of the runners-up from the Europa League group stage in the knockout round play-offs. This two-legged tie will be held in February 2022. And if Marco Rose’s side manage to win this tie, they will then advance to the round of 16.
Borussia Dortmund could face a tough test in the knockout round play-offs, with the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Lazio, SC Braga and Real Betis currently occupying second place in their respective Europa League groups. The draw for the play-offs will be made on December 13, 2021.
Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli, Real Sociedad, Lyon and AS Monaco are among the other teams currently competing in the Europa League. While the likes of RB Leipzig, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atalanta could finish third in their respective Champions League groups and drop into the Europa League.
dark. Next. Player ratings from Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 defeat to Sporting CP
The UEFA Europa League is one of the most competitive club competitions in Europe. And it will certainly be interesting to see how Borussia Dortmund approach it. While they will be among the favourites to win the competition, the road to the final will by no means be an easy one.