NEW YORK, Switzerland (AP) – The Italian derby between Roma and Bologna was tied Friday in the Europa League round of 16, leaving another Serie A team out of the championship race after a tough week for the club.
It won’t be easy for the winner of the two-part series, which will be played on March 12th and 19th, as their next opponents in the quarter-finals will be either Aston Villa or Lille.
The strong half of the draw also includes the Round of 16 pairings, Stuttgart vs. Porto and Nottingham Forest vs. Midtjylland.
Italian soccer is Inter Milan and juventus Atalanta will be withdrawn from the Champions League against lower-ranked opponents this week, leaving Atalanta as the only team left in the round of 16 of Serie A, which includes six English clubs.
atalanta painted on friday Against Bayern Munich.
Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini won the Europa League Two years ago at Atalanta.
The new Europa League format that began last season saw 36 teams compete in a single-place league format, followed by a tennis-style final tournament, allowing teams from the same country to play each other at any point during the knockout stage.
Previously, domestic derbies were only possible from the quarter-finals.
Both Spanish clubs are in the top half of the Europa League. Celta Vigo will host the first leg against Lyon, while Real Betis will first face Panathinaikos.
The winner of Celta vs. Lyon will advance to the quarter-finals against Genk or Freiburg.
Ferencvaros or Braga will wait for the winner of the match between Panathinaikos and Betis.
Friday’s draw gave Europa League spots to the final, which will be played on May 20 at Besiktas’ home stadium in Istanbul.
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