La Liga trio aiming to progress in the Europa League

15th January 2020 by andym

Spain’s three remaining representatives in the Europa League
have all been handed tricky looking assignments in the last 32 of the
competition.

Getafe, Sevilla and Espanyol all enjoyed a relatively smooth
passage through the opening phase, but things inevitably get much tougher as
the tournament progresses.

Sevilla are amongst the favourites in the outright market to
win the Europa League and you can check
it out here if you fancy wagering on the outcome.

Read on as we take a closer a look at each of the La Liga
teams’ upcoming ties and predict who we think will make it through to the next
round.

Getafe v Ajax

Getafe drew the most difficult task out of the three Spanish
teams as they were paired with Dutch giants Ajax.

The Azulones claimed second spot in Group C behind Basel,
losing twice against the Swiss side but winning all their other matches.

They are in with a chance of claiming a top four place in La
Liga this season, but could have their work cut out against the Eredivisie
leaders.

Ajax have dropped into the competition from the
Champions League after narrowly missing out on qualification to the last
16.

The collected 10 points in a group containing Valencia,
Chelsea and Lille, and may prove too classy for Getafe over two legs.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Espanyol

Espanyol finished top of Group H ahead of Ludogorets,
although it was undoubtedly one of the weakest sections in the opening stage.

Their form in La Liga this season has been extremely poor
and they find themselves firmly embroiled in a
battle against relegation.

However, their confidence will have been boosted by a recent
2-2 draw with Barcelona and they will hope to carry that forward into the
Europa League.

Wolves secured second place behind Braga In Group K to
qualify for the round of 32 and are one of the more fancied teams left in the
competition.

They were unbeaten on the road during the opening phase, but
if Espanyol can keep things tight in the first leg, they would be in with a
chance of completing the job back on home soil.

CFR Cluj v Sevilla

Sevilla have won the Europa League on five previous
occasions and it would be no surprise if they made it six this season.

They won five out of six matches in Group A to progress to
the last 32, winning all three home games without conceding a goal.

Sevilla remain in good form in La Liga and are well on
course to challenge for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Cluj also won all their home matches on their way to
claiming second place in Group E behind Celtic and could prove to be
troublesome opponents.

However, Sevilla are fully expected to progress through this
tie and should go on to the latter stages of the competition.

Prediction: Sevilla look a banker bet to make it
through to the last 16, while Espanyol could join them if they can stay in
touch with Wolves in the first leg. Getafe can be expected to put up a good
fight against Ajax, but the Dutch side should progress.

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andym

Founder and chief editor of La Liga Blog, Andy fell in love with Spanish football after a university placement year in the Costa Del Sol. His favourite Tapas is Albondigas and on Saturday afternoons, Andy can regularly be found trying to emulate his hero Carles Puyol for his amateur football team.