Juve and Ajax get favourable matches in the Europa League playoff draw

(Football news) Bayer Leverkusen vs. Monaco: The Kevin Volland derby given that the German international spent four seasons scoring goals in the Bundesliga before he joined the Ligue 1 club in 2020. Philippe Clement’s side are hitting form at the right and will be hoping to still be in top shape in February in order to give Xabi Alonso's side a rough test. Alonso, the Real Madrid legend, is now enjoying his first senior coaching job as he still lacks experience and has to learn quickly at the job. The team from the principality could prove too tricky to overcome as Wissam Ben Yedder has nine goals this season and Breel Embolo is also in top form for Monaco, while Alex Nubel has played every minute between the posts to keep his side in the hunt for European dream.

Sevilla vs. PSV Eindhoven: New Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli is trying to revive their season, but he has yet to find the right formula for his team. The Europa League is Sevilla’s competition, having won four of the past 10 Europa League trophies. While Sevilla are struggling, on the other hand PSV are flying. They beat Premier League leaders Arsenal in the group stage even if they finished second behind the Gunners in the end. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is trying to build a young team with great potential and if their starman Cody Gakpo is still in their squad by the time the first leg rolls around, they will surely be the favourites to qualify.

RB Salzburg vs. Roma: The match is really the tale of two managers as it is the matchup between the apprentice against the master: Mathias Jassle vs. José Mourinho. At the age of 34, Jaissle has a great managerial future ahead of him and his young Salzburg team did quite well in a group with Chelsea and Milan as they managed to draw against both. At 59, Mourinho wants to add one more Europa League trophy to his cabinet after winning the Europa Conference League last season, but he'll have to rally the capital side to their best form given that they have been inconsistent in Serie A so far this season.

Juventus vs Nantes: Juventus have been awarded with arguably the luckiest side in the draw as they face French side Nantes. Last year's surprise French Cup winners are very much among the minnows left in the competition as they wanted the biggest opponent possible to prove that they are not to be taken lightly. The Nantes players celebrated when they drew Juve, and they will play with an attitude of having nothing to lose. For the Old Lady, the biggest pressure is a lot as they simply can't afford to lose and if they did it would be a proper humiliation.

Ajax vs. Union Berlin: It is the clash of two extreme teams with opposing playing styles head-to-head in an intriguing battle. The Dutch side likes to have a lot of the ball, while the Bundesliga leaders are happy to play on the counter. Ajax will clearly go into the clash as favourites but Union keep defying the odds this season. Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Rennes will be an attacking affair. Finally, Sporting go up against Midtjylland as the Portuguese side will be clear cut favourites to win the match

Full Europa League playoff draw

Games to be played Feb. 16 and Feb. 23