10 Key Storylines in Europa League Play-off Round of August 20
The draw is set for the 2015-16 UEFA Europa League play-off round. Forty-four teams will take part in 22 ties to determine which clubs will advance to the group stage.
Fans of good football would be well advised to watch. In three of the last six seasons, the eventual winner of the competition has taken part in this stage of the tournament.
Past winners Ajax, who lost to Rapid Wien in Champions League qualifying earlier this month, will play Czech club Jablonec. Meanwhile, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund will take on Odds BK of Norway.
In the following slides, B/R outlines 10 storylines from the play-off round.
For the full draw, click here.
Can Ajax Rebound?
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The Europa League play-off round is unfamiliar territory for Ajax, a legendary club with an impressive European pedigree. Four times the Dutch giants have won the European Cup/Champions League, but this season Ajax won't take part in the continent's top club competition after crashing out in the third qualifying round.
Against Rapid Wien, Ajax drew the first leg 2-2 in Austria before losing surprisingly at home, 3-2. That sent the Amsterdam-based club to the Europa League play-offs and a date with Czech side FK Baumit Jablonec, who defeated FC Copenhagen in the third qualifying round.
Fans of the Premier League will recognize Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo on Ajax's roster, although the forward has reportedly failed to impress assistant coach Ronald De Boer, who is the brother of first-team manager Frank De Boer.
The loss to Rapid in the second leg prompted questions over the latter De Boer's team selection, with Nemanja Gudelj, Lasse Schone, Johnny Heitinga and Ricardo van Rhijn all left on the bench to start the match.
With their famous opponents perhaps still suffering after their unexpected Champions League exit, Jablonec will try to take advantage. Coach Jaroslav Silhavy told UEFA.com:
"[The Ajax tie] will be an interesting test of our abilities and we are tremendously looking forward to it. We are still full of joy after winning in Copenhagen [against København in the third qualifying round], where we showed that we can succeed against favourites. It is the reason why we do not feel defeated beforehand now.
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The 2014-15 season was not a memorable one for Ajax, who finished a distant second to PSV in the Eredivisie and crashed out of the Dutch Cup in the fourth round. After departing the Champions League before the group stage this campaign, De Boer could face pressure to lead the club back to glory this term.
Who Is Next?
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In recent seasons, the Europa League play-off round has served as something of a predictor of strong form over the course of the entire competition.
Last year, Dnipro edged Hajduk Split in that round before advancing all the way to the final, where the Ukrainian side lost to Sevilla.
Sevilla took part in the 2013-14 play-off round, beating Slask Wroclaw 9-1 over two legs. The Spanish side went on to win the first of two consecutive titles.
Those two teams were not aberrations, either. Atletico Madrid, winners in 2011-12, took part in the play-off round, as did 2010-11 winners Porto and 2009-10 runners-up Fulham.
For whatever reason, there seems to be some correlation between going through the play-off round and advancing deep into the tournament. Apart from Dnipro, the teams that have done so have tended to be well-known sides from western Europe.
Perhaps that bodes well for Borussia Dortmund, Ajax or Athletic Bilbao. Or perhaps it's all just a big coincidence.
Back for More
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Belgian side Club Brugge and PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands share the record for most play-off victories, with five each. Three teams sit one win behind, including Steaua Bucuresti.
That means the Romanian club will have a chance to match Brugge and Eindhoven for most play-off wins when they take on Rosenborg BK on Aug. 20 and 27 for a place in the group stage.
Claudiu Keseru and Raul Rusescu, the team's two leading scorers from a year ago, have departed the club, so Steaua will have to find goals from new sources in order to advance. Muniru Sulley and Jugurtha Hamroun, a pair of new faces, scored twice each in Steaua's unsuccessful bid to reach the Champions League via the qualifying rounds.
"It doesn't matter who we are are pitted against," Steaua president Helmuth Duckadam told UEFA.com. "Every team has a chance of reaching the group stage, and at this level you have to remain focused [in order to progress]."
Meanwhile, no club has reached the Europa League play-offs more times than PAOK. Per UEFA.com, the Greeks are making their sixth appearance at this stage of the competition.
AZ Alkmaar, Club Brugge, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, HJK Helsinki, Metalist Kharkiv, Partizan, PSV Einhdoven, Rapid Wien, Sparta Praha, Steaua Bucuresti and Trabzonspor have made five appearances each in this round.
PAOK reached the group stage last season but did not advance to the knockout phase. This time, they have been drawn with Brondby in the play-offs.
Play-off Scoring Expert
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Swedish striker Marcus Berg holds the distinction of scoring more goals than any other player at this stage of the competition.
Per UEFA.com, he has scored seven goals in the play-offs with three different clubs—Hamburg, PSV Eindhoven and Panathinaikos, his current side.
Panathinaikos and Berg are in the play-offs once again, having been paired with Azerbaijani side Gabala FK. The Greeks will be favored, and Berg should have a good chance to extend his scoring record.
Firsts and Potential Firsts
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Austrian side SC Rheindorf Altach will make their debut at this stage of the competition after defeating Portuguese club Vitoria de Guimaraes in the third qualifying round. Altach finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga last season after being promoted to the top flight following the 2013-14 campaign.
Altach will face Portuguese opposition again in the play-offs, having been paired with Belenenses.
Meanwhile, FK Rabotnicki have a chance to become the first club to represent Macedonia in the group stage. After winning the Macedonian First League in 2013-14, Rabotnicki finished second last season. They have been drawn with Russian side Rubin Kazan in the play-offs.
Personal Reunion for Sparv
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Danish side Midtjylland received a tough draw in the play-offs, landing Premier League club Southampton. For midfielder Tim Sparv, the tie will represent a personal reunion with his former club.
Sparv, 28, came up through the Saints' youth ranks, playing alongside big names like Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott. Unable to break into the first team, he left Southampton in 2007 and eventually joined Midtjylland in 2014.
"Southampton FC was the club that gave me the best football education one could wish for," Sparv tweeted. "It shaped me as a player and as a person."
Southampton will be playing in European competition for the first time in 12 years. Under manager Ronald Koeman, the Saints will expect to advance comfortably.
Dortmund to Set New Attendance Record?
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German giants Borussia Dortmund will be firm favorites to advance in their play-off tie against Norwegian side Odds BK. Dortmund reached the Champions League final in 2013 but endured a difficult 2014-15 campaign under long-time manager Jurgen Klopp, who left the club in the summer.
Odd manager Dag-Eilev Fagermo seemed to realize the enormity of the challenge his side faces, telling @EuropaLeague, "(Dortmund) are a very strong team. Either way, my players will learn a lot."
Perhaps the drama of the tie will have more to do with the number of fans watching the matches. According to UEFA.com, Dortmund set a new record for attendance at a Europa League qualifier, breaking the old mark by more than 10,000.
If Dortmund do progress, they could be one of the favorites to win the competition under new manager Thomas Tuchel. The German side have advanced to the final twice, losing both times, in 1993 and 2002.
Former Champions League Opponents
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The match-up of FC Thun of Switzerland and Czech side Sparta Praha might rekindle Champions League memories of sharp-eyed observers.
In the 2005-06 season, these two clubs met in the group stage of Europe's top club competition. Thun won the first match 1-0 and the two sides played out a scoreless draw in the return match in Prague.
Neither side advanced from Group B, however, as Arsenal and Ajax moved on to the knockout phase.
Familiar Foes
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Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne will feel confident in their chances to progress after being drawn with Moldovan club Milsami Orhei.
The same two teams met in the third qualifying round in 2013-14, with Saint-Etienne advancing comfortably 6-0 on aggregate.
Saint-Etienne finished fifth in the French league last season, only two points behind Monaco for the third and final Champions League spot in Ligue 1. In the Europa League, Les Verts finished fourth in a group that also featured Internazionale and eventual finalists Dnipro.
Founded only in 2005 (as Viitorul Step-Soci), Milsami Orhei won the Moldovan National Division last season.
Long-Distance Football
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How far would you travel to support your team?
In the previous round of qualifying, Kazakh side Kairat Almaty set a UEFA club-competition record by traveling 5,500 kilometers to face Aberdeen (h/t UEFA.com for the stat). But after beating the Scottish side, Kairat will break the record again when they cover 5,947 kilometers to play Girondins de Bordeaux in the play-offs (Bordeaux will obviously travel the same distance for the return leg).
Kairat reached the second qualifying round last season before losing to Esbjerg. This term, they have defeated Red Star Belgrade, Alashkert and Aberdeen to reach the verge of the group stage.
Bordeaux finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season.
