Europa League Draw 2015-16: Date, TV and Live Stream Info for Play-off Round
The Europa League takes one step closer to the group stage on Friday—when the draw for the final qualifying play-off round takes place.
Southampton and Borussia Dortmund made their way into the play-offs by defeating Vitesse Arnhem and competition debutantes Wolfsberger respectively on Thursday.
West Ham suffered an early exit from the competition against Romanian team Astra Giurgiu, who claimed a surprise draw at Upton Park in the first leg, before coming from behind to win 2-1 on Thursday.
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Here is how you can watch the draw for the play-off round, with TV and streaming information for your viewing:
Date: Friday, Aug. 7
Time: 12 p.m. (BST), 7 a.m. (ET), 1 p.m (CEST)
TV Info: Sky Sports News and HD, Eurosport and HD (UK only)
BVB Wonder If There's Life After Klopp
Not so long ago, Borussia Dortmund were reaching the Champions League final and winning Bundesliga titles with beautiful football.
However, where the Westfalenstadion had once been a place of joy, the past 12 months have been hell for the German giants.
No one could have predicted the indignity of Jurgen Klopp's fall—rated as one of Europe's hottest managers alongside the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho—being forced to watch the house he built crumble and fall at his feet.
The season ended on a happy note, as Dortmund swapped a spot in the relegation zone for a charge up the table to seventh place, grabbing an unlikely spot in Europe, but the demise of Klopp's tenure was one of the most shocking in recent football history.
Thomas Tuchel now has the reins, with the 41-year-old retired defender finding his way to BVB via the unfashionable Mainz.
His recruitment may have been seen as an attempt to replicate the path of Klopp—who also spent seven years as the Mainz head coach—but the club have certainly opted for potential rather than genuine class.
Visually, Tuchel could be Klopp's doppelganger, with BVB admitting they have had their eye on the coach for many seasons.
CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Kicker the new boss had been a target since 2009, when they encountered him in youth football, and they have monitored his progress and development over the preceding years, per Miles Chambers of Goal.com:
"Dortmund's curiosity has been aroused again. When I see how meticulously Tuchel prepares his training and how much effort he puts into his work, it compels my respect. We've had his name shortlisted as a potential coach since 2009.
We clearly had the better players on paper in the Rheinhessen junior final, but Tuchel was the reason that Mainz won that day. I knew already that suggestions he is difficult to work with were simply not true. I'd rather have a tough coach at the helm because I wouldn't want someone to be relaxed and positive if the defeats are piling up. Tuchel's extremely ambitious.
"
Tuchel's first examination will not be under the scrutiny of the Bundesliga floodlights, but in the Europa League—where it is expected the team reaches the latter rounds.
And the support for the home side will be at maximum capacity—as usual with BVB—with the Europa League's official Twitter account highlighting the match:
Dortmund did enough in the first leg against the Austrians, grabbing a solitary goal in their 1-0 win, before putting Wolfsberger to the sword 5-0 in front of their adoring fans in yellow and black.
But the task to recapture the glory days for Die Schwarzgelben will be an incredible feat for the new coach to achieve, and there might be more pain to come before things improve for the better.
Koeman Has The Midas Touch
Taking over from Mauricio Pochettino was always going to be a tough ask of Ronald Koeman, especially when you consider Southampton sold the hub of the star players 12 months ago.
As the likes of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert jumped ship, Koeman was expected to keep the Saints afloat in the Premier League—and the Dutch coach pulled off a minor miracle.
Southampton conceded just 33 goals during the league campaign in 2014-15, per Squawka.com, ending the season in seventh—with the second-best defensive record behind champions Chelsea, by one goal.
It was a remarkable achievement for a club in full-blown transition—and now the manager has to do it all over again.
This time, internationals Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin have left the club, and with the added weight of Europa League football to contend with, Koeman has to once again break the mould.
And Vitesse Arnhem have found out, to their detriment, that the Saints still look as hot as they were last year, as they grabbed a 3-0 advantage in the first leg and finished off the tie with a 2-0 win at home.
Southampton are the one team most of the big boys do not want to see in the group phase, despite there being other giant clubs in the mix, such as Dortmund. Koeman's team are well drilled and give little away, and they will welcome any side to St Mary's with open arms.
And as much as The Dell was once a fortress for Southampton, their new stadium is its slightly bigger cousin, and a trip to the south coast of England will be a difficult task for any opponent to navigate.
Fulham and Middlesbrough have proved smaller English clubs can have success in European competition—and no one will be shocked if Southampton replicate their glory.
