UEFA Europa League

The second legs of the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League third-round qualifiers take place on Wednesday and Thursday, with most of the big sides carrying advantages on aggregate.

Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Pyunik 4-0 on the road in the first leg, and the Premier League side will expect to progress to the play-off round after Thursday's return game.

Eintracht Frankfurt were semi-finalists last term, and their 5-0 first-leg victory should see them through against FC Vaduz.

Viktoria Plzen made it to the round of 32 in 2017-18, but they trail 1-0 and risk elimination against Royal Antwerp.

                           

Wednesday's Fixtures, Aggregate Score and Odds

Atromitos Athens vs. Legia Warsaw (3-0), 5 p.m. BST, 12 p.m. ET

Odds: Athens 31-12, Warsaw 5-4, draw 44-19

Saburtalo vs. Ararat-Armenia (2-1), 5 p.m. BST, 12 p.m. ET

Odds: Saburtalo 7-5, Ararat-Armenia 19-10, draw 77-29

Vitoria Guimaraes vs. Ventspils (3-0), 5 p.m. BST, 12 p.m. ET

Odds: Guimaraes 1-9, Ventspils 60-1, draw 12-1

                

Thursday's Fixtures, Aggregate Score and Odds

HJK Helsinki vs. Riga FC (1-1), 5 p.m. BST, 12 p.m. ET

Odds: Helsinki 4-5, Riga 4-1, draw 11-4

Dinamo Tbilisi vs. Feyenoord (0-4), 5:30 p.m. BST, 12:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Tbilisi 7-2, Feyenoord 11-13, draw 3-1

Spartak Moscow vs. Thun (3-2), 5:45 p.m. BST, 12:45 p.m. ET

Odds: Spartak 5-8, Thun 9-2, draw 33-10

AIK vs. Sheriff Tiraspol (2-1), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: AIK 3-5, Sheriff 11-2, draw 31-10

Apollon Limassol vs. Austria Vienna (2-1), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Limassol 1-1, Vienna 3-1, draw 11-4

BATE Borisov vs. FK Sarajevo (2-1), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: BATE 4-7, Sarajevo 6-1, draw 58-19

Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv vs. Neftchi Baku (2-2), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Bnei 19-11, Neftchi 8-5, draw 29-11

Mlada Boleslav vs. Steaua Bucharest (0-0), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Boleslav 4-5, Steaua 3-1, draw 12-5

Shakhtyor Soligorsk vs. Torino (0-5), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Shakhtyor 5-1, Torino 3-5, draw 10-3

Suduva vs. Maccabi Tel-Aviv (2-1), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Suduva 38-11, Maccabi 9-11, draw 37-13

Yeni Malatyaspor vs. Partizan Belgrade (1-3), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Malatyaspor 5-4, Belgrade 9-4, draw 11-4

Zorya Luhansk vs. CSKA Sofia (1-1), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Zorya 11-10, Sofia 3-1, draw 5-2

Zrinjski Mostar vs. Malmo (0-3), 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. ET

Odds: Zrinjski 7-2, Malmo 11-13, draw 11-4

Hapoel Be'er Sheva vs. IFK Norrkoping (1-1), 6:30 p.m. BST, 1:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Sheva 13-8, Norrkoping 19-10, draw 11-5

The New Saints vs. Ludogorets (0-5), 6:30 p.m. BST, 1:30 p.m. ET

Odds: TNS 6-1, Ludogorets 6-11, draw 7-2

Trabzonspor vs. Sparta Prague (2-2), 6:30 p.m. BST, 1:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Trabzonspor 4-5, Sparta 4-1, draw 3-1

AEK Athens vs. Universitatea Craiova (2-0), 7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. ET

Odds: AEK 5-11, Craiova 17-2, draw 15-4

Valletta FC vs. FC Astana (1-5), 7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. ET

Odds: Valletta 17-4, Astana 4-6, draw 10-3

Viktoria Plzen vs. Royal Antwerp (0-1), 7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. ET

Odds: Plzen 5-6, Antwerp 15-4, draw 11-4

Aris Salonica vs. Molde (0-3), 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Salonica 1-1, Molde 14-5, draw 27-10

AZ Alkmaar vs. Mariupol (0-0), 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Alkmaar 1-5, Mariupol 18-1, draw 29-5

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. FC Vaduz (5-0), 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Frankfurt 1-9, Vaduz 33-1. draw 10-1

KAA Gent vs. AEK Larnaca (1-1), 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Gent 4-7, Larnaca 6-1, draw 10-3

PSV Eindhoven vs. FK Haugesund (1-0), 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET

Odds: PSV 1-7, Haugesund 33-1, draw 8-1

Strasbourg vs. Lokomotiv Plovdiv (1-0), 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET

Odds: Strasbourg 3-10, Plovdiv 11-1, draw 5-1

Aberdeen vs. HNK Rijeka (0-2), 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. ET

Odds: Aberdeen 11-8, Rijeka 21-10, draw 27-11

Rangers vs. FC Midtjylland (4-2), 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. ET

Odds: Rangers 7-10, Midtjylland 9-2, draw 3-1

Sporting Braga vs. Brondby IF (4-2), 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. ET

Odds: Braga 18-35, Brondby 6-1, draw 15-4

Wolves vs. Pyunik (4-0), 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. ET

Odds: Wolves 1-16, Pyunik 55-1, draw 16-1

Espanyol vs. Luzern (3-0), 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. ET

Odds: Espanyol 21-100, Luzern 15-1, draw 6-1

                       

All odds courtesy of Oddschecker.

Wolves vs. Pyunik will be shown on Premier Sports 1 and streamed via Premier Player in the UK.

Rangers vs. FC Midtjylland will be streamed on B/R Live in the U.S.

                         

Wolves vs. Pyunik

Wolves will have the opportunity to rotate their team after gaining a substantial first-leg advantage in their tie. 

The Premier League side will likely face Torino in the play-offs before the group phase, with the Italians holding a 5-0 lead over Shakhtyor Soligorsk.

The English team have not experienced European competition for 39 years, and the quality of head coach Nuno Espirito Santo's squad has Wolves fans excited.

According to Oddschecker, Wolves are ranked highly in the betting to win the competition.

Espirito Santo's reputation has reached new heights after guiding his side to seventh in the Premier League last term. In the previous season, the Molineux club won the Championship with a 99-point haul.

Raul Jimenez spent last season on loan at the club, and his consistency saw him earn a permanent move from Benfica in the summer. 

The 28-year-old scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in the Premier League last term, and a brace against Pyunik in the first leg all but ended the challenge from the Armenian club.

Matt Doherty opened the scoring for Wolves in the first leg and a Ruben Neves penalty in stoppage time ensured a convincing lead.

Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Pyunik 4-0 in the first leg of the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League third-round qualifiers on Thursday. 

The Premier League side were clinical on the road and continued their good form from last season with a goalscoring display and clean sheet.

Rangers are a step closer to qualification after a 4-2 away win against FC Midtjylland, but Scottish compatriots Aberdeen lost 2-0 at HNK Rijeka.

There were resounding 5-0 victories for Eintracht Frankfurt and Torino. The Bundesliga team deconstructed FC Vaduz and the Serie A side overpowered Shakhtyor Soligorsk.

It was a good night for two Eredivisie representatives, with PSV Eindhoven defeating FK Haugesund 1-0 and Feyenoord completing a 4-0 win over Dinamo Tbilisi.

La Liga outfit Espanyol skipped to a 3-0 victory over Luzern in Switzerland.

                       

Thursday's Results

FC Astana 5-1 Valletta FC

AEK Larnaca 1-1 KAA Gent

Pyunik 0-4 Wolves

Sparta Prague 2-2 Trabzonspor

Universitatea Craiova 0-2 AEK Athens

Brondby 2-4 Braga

Ventspils 0-3 Vitoria Guimaraes

FK Haugesund 0-1 PSV Eindhoven

Malmo 3-0 Zrinjski Mostar

Mariupol 0-0 AZ Alkmaar

Molde 3-0 Aris

Neftchi Baku 2-2 Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv

Sheriff 1-2 AIK

Thun 3-2 Spartak Moscow

CSKA Sofia 1-1 Zorya Luhansk

Feyenoord 4-0 Dinamo Tbilisi

Lokomotiv Plovdiv 0-1 Strasbourg

Ludogorets 5-0 The New Saints

Maccabi Tel-Aviv 1-2 Suduva

Royal Antwerp 1-0 Viktoria Plzen

FK Sarajevo 1-2 BATE Borisov

F91 Dudelange 3-1 Nomme Kalju

FC Midtjylland 2-4 Rangers

HNK Rijeka 2-0 Aberdeen

IFK Norrkoping 1-1 Hapoel Be'er Sheva

FC Vaduz 0-5 Eintracht Frankfurt

Steaua Bucharest 0-0 Mlada Boleslav

Austria Vienna 1-2 Apollon Limassol

Legia Warsaw 0-0 Atromitos Athens

Luzern 0-3 Espanyol

Partizan Belgrade 3-1 Yeni Malatyaspor

Torino 5-0 Shakhtyor Soligorsk

                           

Thursday Recap

Wolves took a step towards advancing from the last stage of qualifying with a convincing victory in Armenia.

Matt Doherty opened the scoring for the English side after 29 minutes, and Nuno Espirito Santo's men did not look back during their performance in the capital.

Raul Jimenez was one of the eye-catching forwards in the Premier League last term, and the striker scored three minutes before half-time. Jimenez grabbed his brace a minute after the restart, and Wolves were home and dry.

Ruben Neves converted a penalty in stoppage time after Patrick Cutrone was fouled in the box. Espirito Santo will have been impressed with what he saw, with his team gearing up for the start of their Premier League season against Leicester on Sunday.

Rangers also delivered a superb away performance, with Steven Gerrard's team winning 4-2.

Alfredo Morelos broke the deadlock for the Scottish side two minutes before half-time, setting up a pulsating second half. Joe Aribo's 52-minute effort doubled the scoreline and Nikola Katic's finish after 56 minutes appeared to have killed off the hosts.

However, Midtjylland were not done and two quick goals pulled them back into the contest. Frank Onyeka was calm with his finish after 58 minutes and Sory Kaba's long shot stunned the Scots just five minutes later to make it 3-2. Scott Arfield made sure of the win with 20 minutes left on the clock, securing Gerrard's men a commanding lead for the return at Ibrox Stadium.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rangers and Aberdeen are among those set to be in action during the third qualifying phase for the 2019/20 UEFA Europe League.

Premier League outfit Wolves are heavy favourites for the first leg against Pyunik in Armenia on Thursday. Meanwhile, Scottish duo Rangers and Aberdeen are also tipped by oddsmakers to get past FC Midtjylland and HNK Rijeka, respectively.

Last season's beaten semi-finalists Eintracht Frankfurt should also progress. The Bundesliga side looks too strong for FC Vaduz, even after selling prolific strikers Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller this summer.

         

Fixtures and Odds

Wednesday, August 7

• Slovan Bratislava (5-11) vs. Dundalk (15-2) (Draw 7-2): 7:15 p.m. BST/2:15 p.m. ET

     

Thursday, August 8

• FC Astana (1-5) vs. Valletta FC (18-1) (Draw 31-5): 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET
• AEK Larnaca (20-9) vs. KAA Gent (13-10) (Draw 29-12): 4:30 p.m. BST/11:30 a.m. ET
• Pyunik (16-1) vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-13) (Draw 59-10): 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET
• Sparta Prague (5-4) vs. Trabzonspor (29-12) (Draw 23-10): 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET
• Universitatea Craiova (11-5) vs. AEK Athens (11-5) (Draw 16-11): 5:15 p.m. BST/12:15 p.m. ET
• Brondby (28-17) vs. Braga (7-4) (Draw 12-5): 5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. ET
• Ventspils (28-5) vs. Vitoria Guimaraes (10-17) (Draw 3-1): 5:45 p.m. BST/12:45 p.m. ET
• FK Haugesund (11-2) vs. PSV Eindhoven (4-7) (Draw 57-17): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• Malmo (4-17) vs. Zrinjski Mostar (16-1) (Draw 11-2): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• Mariupol (19-5) vs. AZ Alkmaar (4-5) (Draw 29-10): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• Molde (8-11) vs. Aris (9-2) (Draw 37-13): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• Neftchi Baku (7-10) vs. Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv (21-4) (Draw 16-5): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• Sheriff (28-17) vs. AIK (37-19) (Draw 21-10): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• Thun (33-16) vs. Spartak Moscow (16-11) (Draw 23-10): 6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
• CSKA Sofia (11-8) vs. Zorya Luhansk (44-19) (Draw 9-4): 6:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. ET
• Feyenoord (3-8) vs. Dinamo Tbilisi (15-2) (Daw 47-10): 6:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. ET
• Lokomotiv Plovdiv (11-2) vs. Strasbourg (11-18) (Draw 3-1): 6:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. ET
• Ludogorets (1-6) vs. The New Saints (25-1) (Draw 15-2): 6:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. ET
• Maccabi Tel-Aviv (2-7) vs. Suduva (11-1) (Draw 5-1): 6:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. ET
• Royal Antwerp (13-10) vs. Viktoria Plzen (41-18) (Draw 12-5): 6:30 p.m. BST/1:30 p.m. ET
• FK Sarajevo (21-10) vs. BATE Borisov (6-4) (Draw 9-4): 6:45 p.m. BST/1:45 p.m. ET
• F91 Dudelange (11-18) vs. Nomme Kalju (11-2) (Draw 31-10): 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
• FC Midtjylland (8-5) vs. Rangers (15-8) (Draw 23-10): 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
• HNK Rijeka (7-9) vs. Aberdeen (17-4) (Draw 11-4): 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
• IFK Norrkoping (19-20) vs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (16-5) (Draw 5-2): 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
• FC Vaduz (17-2) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (7-19) (Draw 49-11): 7:30 p.m. BST/2:30 p.m. ET
• Steaua Bucharest (19-20) vs. Mlada Boleslav (31-10) (Draw 13-5): 7:30 p.m. BST/2:30 p.m. ET
• Austria Vienna (6-5) vs. Apollon Limassol (32-13) (Draw 40-17): 7:30 p.m. BST/2:30 p.m. ET
• Legia Warsaw (19-20) vs. Atromitos Athens (39-11) (Draw 27-11): 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
• Luzern (17-4) vs. Espanyol (5-7) (Draw 58-19): 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
• Partizan Belgrade (21-20) vs. Yeni Malatyaspor (16-5) (Draw 5-2): 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
• Torino (1-6) vs. Shakhtyor Soligorsk (28-1) (Draw 41-5): 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET

TV Info: Premier Sports. Live-Stream Link: Premier Player

Odds, per Oddschecker.

      

Wolves haven't been afraid to pick strong lineups so far during qualifying. Nuno Espirito Santo was rewarded for risking key first-teamers such as forward Diogo Jota and striker Raul Jimenez with a 6-1 aggregate win over Crusaders in the previous round.

Jota and Jimenez accounted for three of the goals, picking up where they left off last season as a prolific duo combining pace and ingenuity. Wolves have further boosted their options up top by signing Patrick Cutrone, who has previously impressed in the competition for AC Milan:

🖐️⚽️

More #UEL goals for Cutrone this season? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/g1lk27D7qF

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) July 31, 2019

Wolves' firepower will send Santo's men into a commanding first-leg lead and eventually a possible tie against Serie A side Torino.

Rangers are also fancied to progress, but Midtjylland have a decent pedigree in the competition, famously scoring a first-leg victory over Manchester United in the last 32 back in 2016.

Steven Gerrard still has a strong squad to choose from, and the presence of goalkeeper Alan McGregor, midfielder Steven Davis and powerhouse centre-forward Alfredo Morelos will let Rangers leave Denmark with a win.

Rangers will be expected to go through, but there may be more pressure on Aberdeen. SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster wants the Dons to reach the group stage to help improve the domestic league's standing in the UEFA rankings, per Callum Law of the Evening Express:

"It's vital that as many teams go as far as possible in Europe—not only for the enjoyment of their fans but to get more coefficient points. We're 20th in Europe, but not so long ago we were 26th in Europe. If we can get to 15th that really does transform things and open up much better access to European competitions."

Aberdeen's chances in Iceland will hinge on the performance of free-scoring striker Sam Cosgrove. He bagged a brace during the 3-2 win over Hearts on Sunday, after scoring four times in the 6-1 victory over Chikhura Sachkhere in the second qualifying phase.

Thursday - Scores a hat-trick in the Europa Leauge.

Sunday - Scores Aberdeen's first Scottish Premiership goal of the season.

Sam Cosgrove is in fantastic form.#COYR pic.twitter.com/4lnV8ns5rc

— bet365 (@bet365) August 4, 2019

Frankfurt's bid to match last season's run to the last four looks like a daunting task after Jovic moved to Real Madrid and Haller signed for West Ham United. The former's goals were the platform for a successful campaign that only ended with a penalty shootout defeat to eventual winners Chelsea:

Luka Jovic is too good for the Europa League 💪#CHESGE #UELpic.twitter.com/3xctMfGgEq

— GOAL (@goal) May 9, 2019

Not having Jovic to lead the line is a blow, but this squad still has enough quality in midfield and forward areas. Forward Ante Rebic and midfielders Filip Kostic, Jonathan de Guzman and Sebastian Rode will ensure Frankfurt overpower Vaduz.

The 2019-20 UEFA Europa League play-off draw took place on Monday and revealed which routes teams must take in order to reach this season's group stage.

The Europa League third qualifying round will conclude on Thursday, August 15, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt and PSV Eindhoven each in contention.

Ajax and Celtic line up in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League and could drop into the Europa League play-off round if they fail to advance.

Premier League side Wolves will face either Torino or Belarusian club Shakhtyor if they beat Pyunik in the third qualifying round, while Rangers face a potential run-in with Legia Warsaw or Atromitos.

The play-off round first-leg fixtures will take place on Thursday, August 22, while the second legs will be held on August 29.

Here's how the play-off draw looks:

Europa League Play-Off Draw

Champions Path - Group 1

Maccabi Tel Aviv/Suduva vs. Dinamo Zagreb/Ferencvaros

Red Star Belgrade/Copenhagen vs. Riga/Helsinki

CFR Cluj/Celtic vs. Sheriff Tiraspol/AIK

Ararat-Armenia/Saburtalo Tbilisi vs. Dudelange/Nomme Kalju

       

Champions Path - Group 2

Ludogorets Razgrad/The New Saints vs. Maribor/Rosenborg

Sutjeska Niksic/Linfield vs. APOEL/Qarabag

Slovan Bratislava/Dundalk vs. PAOK/Ajax

FC Astana/Valletta vs. Saravejo/BATE Borisov

      

Main Path

Torino/Shakhtyor vs. Pyunik/Wolverhampton Wanderers

Universitatea Craiova/AEK Athens vs. Sparta Prague/Trabzonspor

Legia Warsaw/Atromitos vs. Midtjylland/Rangers

Feyenoord/Dinamo Tbilisi vs. IFK Norrkoping/Hapoel Beer Sheva

Steaua Bucharest/Mlada Boleslav vs. Ventspils/Vitoria

AEK Larnaca/Gent vs. Rijeka/Aberdeen

Haugesund/PSV vs. Austria Wien/Apollon

Luzern/Espanyol vs. CSKA Sofia/Zorya Luhansk

Partizan Belgrade/Malatyaspor vs. Molde/Aris

Brondby/Braga vs. Thun/Spartak Moscow

Malmo/Zrinjski Mostar vs. Neftci/Bnei Yehuda

Lokomotiv Plovdiv/Strasbourg vs. Vaduz/Eintracht Frankfurt

Mariupol/AZ Alkmaar vs. Royal Antwerp/Viktoria Plzen

Visit the official UEFA website to see the draw in full.

          

Wolves are set to return to European competition for the first time since 1980. They'll take on Armenian side Pyunik in the next round having dominated Northern Ireland's Crusaders 6-1 on aggregate in the previous stage of the competition.

The Express and Star's Tim Spiers provided more information regarding their potential run to the group stage:

Wolves/Pyunik have been drawn against Torino (Italy) or Shakhtyor Soligorsk (Belarus) in the Europa League play-off round.

Tie to be played on August 22/29. If Wolves beat Pyunik they'll be away from home first. The winners will progress to the group stage.

— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) August 5, 2019

Wolves and Torino finished seventh in the Premier League and Serie A last season, respectively, and each might have hoped for an easier play-off opponent should they make it that far.

Neither team will want to get ahead of their third qualifying round fixture, though sportswriter Nathan Judah already had the most exciting possible matchup from these fixtures set in his sights:

Who do you fancy in Europa draw should Wolves get past FC Pyunik?

Tbh....I’m quite happy with any of them
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TORINOTORINOTORINOTORINO
TORINOTORINOTORINOTORINO
TORINOTORINOTORINOTORINO
TORINOTORINOTORINOTORINO
TORINOTORINOTORINOTORINO#wwfc

— Nathan Judah (@NathanJudah) August 5, 2019

Rangers are entering their second season under Steven Gerrard and hoping to return to the tournament's group stage once more.

Last season's Scottish Premiership runners-up failed to make it past the pool stage in the 2018-19 Europa League, but they will be targeting an improvement after another campaign of experience with Gerrard at the helm.

It's possible the Europa League play-off round could feature three Eredivisie sides should Ajax lose to PAOK in the Champions League and drop down to the second-tier competition.

Feyenoord and AZ play respective opponents Dinamo Tbilisi and Mariupol in the third qualifying round. 

Sportswriter Michael Yokhin noted the son of Swedish legend Henrik Larsson will just miss out on a meeting with one of his father's former employers:

Feyenoord likely to play Norrkoping in Europa League.
Isn't that a huge shame that Henrik Larsson's son has left Norrkoping a few days ago?

— Michael Yokhin (@Yokhin) August 5, 2019

Eintracht Frankfurt made it to the semi-finals of this competition last season but could struggle to qualify for the group stage if they encounter Strasbourg.

The French club emerged in Ligue 1 last season and should beat Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the third qualifying round, while Frankfurt promise to make light work of Vaduz of Liechtenstein.

AC Milan have been banned from participating in the UEFA Europa League next season for breaching financial fair play regulations. 

Football writer James Horncastle relayed the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday:

Belated CAS ruling announces Milan are excluded from participating in the UEFA Club Competitions of the 2019/20 season. Roma hop into the group stages. Torino must prepare for the preliminaries pic.twitter.com/X96IIZAEGL

— James Horncastle OMRI (@JamesHorncastle) June 28, 2019

UEFA hit the Rossoneri with a two-year ban in 2018 for FFP breaches, but the club successfully appealed and took part in the Europa League last season.

They were due to participate in the competition again next season after missing out on a UEFA Champions League berth with a fifth-placed finish in Serie A.

Sixth-placed Roma will take their automatic spot in the group stage, while Torino, who finished seventh, will now take part in qualifying as Italy's second representative in the competition.

Football writer Tariq Panja relayed CAS' full statement:

https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1144556780304969730

The Europa League ban will close off one avenue to the Champions League for the Rossoneri, along with the chance of winning a major trophy.

However, their absence from the competition will also ease their workload dramatically, allowing them to put more focus on their domestic efforts.

The Rossoneri only finished one point behind third-placed Atalanta and fourth-placed Inter Milan. With their rivals occupied by European football, Milan have a promising opportunity to improve on last season's performance.

Hosting the 2019 UEFA Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan, didn't make Arsenal or Chelsea happy, but UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has defended the decision.

Speaking at Oxford University on Friday, Ceferin was critical of the attitude taken by "English clubs," per Joe Tanner of Sky Sports:

"Whenever we have English clubs, whenever we have complaints. You don't help yourself in the popularity within European football with that.

"If somebody asks me why we played in Baku, I would say: People live there, homo sapiens live there.

"If we have two Azerbaijani teams playing in London nobody would complain. They would come and play without any problems.

"We decided a year-and-a-half ago that we play in Baku, which has a modern stadium of 70,000. I think there is only one stadium in England that is bigger.

"They had to watch the game at 11 p.m. because of the time difference but nobody complained. We have to develop football everywhere not England, Germany only."

Chelsea won the game 4-1 on May 29, thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud, Pedro and a brace from Eden Hazard, but UEFA's decision to play the final in the Azerbaijani capital came in for strong criticism.

Arsenal formalised complaints via a letter sent to European Football's governing body, prompting a lengthy response on UEFA's official website before the final.

There were concerns about the quality of the pitch and the paltry 6,000-ticket allocation awarded to both sets of supporters:

First look inside Olympic Stadium Baku. Azerbaijan FA boss tells us:
- 60k crowd for #EuropaLeague final
- Chelsea sold just over 2k tickets to UK fans, Arsenal almost full 6k quota
- Lots of clubs’ global fans coming
- Pitch rated 5/5 by Uefa today despite patches#UEL #CFC #AFC pic.twitter.com/MBw0SOuKMZ

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) May 27, 2019

Logistics also presented problems, even though plenty of fans still negotiated a difficult trip to attend the showpiece game:

🔴 An @Arsenal fans journey to the @EuropaLeague Final:

📅 Friday:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Southend ✈️ Amsterdam 🇳🇱

📅 Saturday:
🇳🇱 Amsterdam ✈ Minsk 🇧🇾

📅 Sunday:
🇧🇾 Minsk ✈ Baku 🇦🇿

👏 Commitment. pic.twitter.com/MEmgNfCZ6D

— SPORF (@Sporf) May 29, 2019

However, more troubling concerns emerged once Arsenal forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan opted not to travel amid concerns for his safety because of the entrenched hostilities between his home nation, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Having considered all the current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with the squad to the #UEL Final against #Chelsea [...] pic.twitter.com/3CPrTvLquy

— Henrikh Mkhitaryan (@HenrikhMkh) May 21, 2019

UEFA's apparent inability to reassure Mkhitaryan about his safety left the Gunners without a key player, and sports writer Sam Pilger questioned the decision to choose a venue with such implications:

The 2019 Europa League final in Baku will forever be tainted. The result meaningless after UEFA's decision to stage it in a city where an Arsenal player feels unsafe to travel. It won't happen, but Arsenal and Chelsea should refuse to play the final. The whole thing stinks

— Sam Pilger (@sampilger) May 21, 2019

Mkhitaryan's plight wasn't the only socio-political concern raised by UEFA's choice to award the final to Baku:

Amnesty International statement from UK director Kate Allen on Europa League final in Baku: "We must ensure that Azerbaijan isn’t allowed to ‘sportswash’ its appalling human rights record as a result of the football fanfare.

— James Benge (@jamesbenge) May 22, 2019

Even so, Ceferin was quick to reaffirm Baku's status as a host city for UEFA Euro 2020 shortly after the final.  

Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has apologised to the fans after the 4-1 loss to Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League final, telling them they deserve better. 

The Greek centre-back took to social media on Friday:

You all deserved better and I'm sorry that we couldn't give you what we all wanted. For every single Arsenal fan who was in Baku and around the world, we are sorry. We’ll work to get stronger for next season to give this club the success it deserves. @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/hdC0nV4ooK

— Sokratis Papastathopoulos (@SokratisPapa5) May 31, 2019

Team-mate Granit Xhaka also voiced his disappointment:

"It really hurts that we couldn't bring you back this trophy. Thanks to everyone who came to Baku and thanks to you all for your support this season."

- Granit Xhaka pic.twitter.com/SyGIbgHuVB

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 31, 2019

Both played from start to finish in the defeat on Wednesday, holding their own in the first half before the Blues pulled away the break.

Former Gunners forward Olivier Giroud got the opening goal with a diving header, and Pedro doubled the lead after great work from Eden Hazard. The Belgian then added a third from the penalty spot and, while Alex Iwobi gave his side some faint hope with a strong volley, Hazard again struck to put the final score on the board.

The result gave Chelsea the title and ensured Arsenal won't play in next year's UEFA Champions League.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoDlo5V-gRw

According to Sami Mokbel of MailOnline, the loss of Champions League revenue means the Gunners will have just £45 million to address their transfer needs this summer:

Arsenal's finances are in disarray and missing out on the Champions League means Unai Emery has only £45m for to rebuild the squad with this summer https://t.co/9itJtjhzBt | @SamiMokbel81_DM pic.twitter.com/f07mtkdGcU

— Mail Sport (@MailSport) May 30, 2019

That relatively small budget will be a great obstacle toward improving a squad that ran out of steam during the 2018-19 campaign.

Manager Unai Emery got the side off to a great start in his first season in the Premier League―Arsenal went on a lengthy unbeaten streak after losing their first two matches, before finally suffering defeat against Southampton in December―but the team did not finish strongly, finishing behind local rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the standings.

The manager believes Arsenal will still find the players they need, despite the lack of Champions League football:

Arsenal's Emery says club won't struggle to attract talent despite missing out on next season’s Champions League. More here: https://t.co/c5D2awehTq pic.twitter.com/P0W8Ut4ku4

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 30, 2019

Arsenal do have several talented players with tremendous room for growth in their squad, and the likes of Iwobi, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira flashed enough potential this season to warrant major expectations in the 2019-20 campaign.

The duo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette is also a strong one to build an attack around, and the return of Hector Bellerin will be a major boost to the squad.

David Luiz has touted Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi as a ready-made replacement for Eden Hazard if the team's talisman joins Real Madrid this summer. 

Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday to lift the UEFA Europa League crown as Hazard scored twice. Luiz joked "either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo" when asked who could fill Hazard's shoes before turning to Hudson-Odoi as a more serious selection, per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey:

"It is part of life. Some cycles finish, some cycles start. I think we have many many talents within the club to replace him.

"We have many [who could replace him]. Callum is great. Callum has known this club since he was young, and he has the talents to one day try to be like Eden. It is a new story for Callum. It didn't start so well because of the injury, but it is time for him to improve in other sides [of his game]."

Hudson-Odoi made a long-awaited breakthrough in Chelsea's first team this season and earned his stripes among Maurizio Sarri's ranks after fans campaigned for his inclusion. The youngster earned his first start for England before he'd made his full debut for Chelsea in the Premier League.

Per Twomey's report, Hazard is widely expected to leave Stamford Bridge for Madrid this summer. Like Hazard, Hudson-Odoi also has one year remaining on his Chelsea contract.

Injury ended the 18-year-old's season early and prevented him from taking part in Wednesday's victory in Baku, Azerbaijan. However, his team-mates had their absent comrade (and his contract situation) in mind following the win, via fan account Chelsea Chaps:

Chelsea squad singing Hudson-Odoi’s name following the Europa League victory with a shout of ‘sign the contract’ in the background. Love this club. 💙👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Acr9vgt5LX

— The Chelsea Chaps ⭐️⭐️ (@chelseachaps) May 29, 2019

Hudson-Odoi missed four of Chelsea's last five Europa League matches, as well as the final three games of their Premier League campaign, in which they finished third.

Nevertheless, his second half of the season showed som eencouraging signs as to what lies ahead for the teenager, who earned praise from Twomey despite missing the final:

Happy for Loftus-Cheek & Hudson-Odoi, who both grew in stature on this Europa League run & deserved to play in the final more than most. They’ve earned their winners’ medals #cfc

— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) May 29, 2019

Chelsea have other wide alternatives in Pedro, 32 in July, and Willian, 31 in August, although Sarri might prefer a little more youth among his options.

Hudson-Odoi has played roughly the same amount of Europa League minutes as Hazard this season and boasts similar dribbling figures, per Squawka:

Most take-ons completed in the Europa League this season:

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (41)
Eden Hazard (31)
Callum Hudson-Odoi (30)
Dani Olmo (30)
Willian (29)
Mateo Kovačić (28)

Chelsea missing two of the top three... but have plenty more. 🏃‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/7LwtJv6wGK

— Squawka (@Squawka) May 29, 2019

The youngster has demonstrated terrific ability to create pressure as well as an eye for goal, scoring five times and recording five assists in 24 senior appearances this season.

No player among Chelsea's ranks will replace Hazard overnight, but Luiz believes Hudson-Odoi's first season in the top flight showed he has the tools to potentially match his heights in future.

Maurizio Sarri did not commit his future to Chelsea after they won the UEFA Europa League with a 4-1 victory over Arsenal in the final in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. 

The triumph topped off a fine first season as Blues manager for the Italian. He led Chelsea to third in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup final before they won the Europa League.

It was Sarri's first piece of major silverware:

Maurizio Sarri has won his first trophy as a manager at the tender age of 60.

The banker turned football coach started his journey at Italian side Stia in 1990...

Now in his 19th job, he's a champion of Europe! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/t06tQjHJNJ

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 29, 2019

Despite Chelsea's successful campaign, Sarri has not always been popular at Stamford Bridge this season, and he has been strongly linked with the Juventus job following Massimiliano Allegri's announcement he is departing the club:

🤔 Sarri to Juventus?@MiguelDelaney discusses the prospect of Maurizio Sarri joining Juventus.#CFC fans: do you want Sarri to stay?

🎧 LISTEN here👇
⚽️📲 https://t.co/0kUniWPgQm#bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/gPJT440gwo

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) May 28, 2019

According to MailOnline's Sami Mokbel, Juventus players have already been told to expect Sarri to be the new boss.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck was seen meeting with Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli before the Europa League final, and Tuttosport reported the pair discussed Sarri's future (h/t Mokbel).

After Chelsea's emphatic victory against their London rivals, Sarri was noncommittal about his future when speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Jack Bezants of MailOnline):

"This is the time to celebrate. From tomorrow, as with all clubs, we'll sit down and see what the club wants me to improve and what I want the club to improve on. There are still two years remaining on my contract, so as with every club, we have to sit down and evaluate everything.

"You know very well that I love the Premier League, the level of the competition, and I am lucky because I am in Chelsea, one of the best teams in the best championship in the world. We had a good season because we earned our spot in the Champions League via the Premier League, which was not an easy task considering the high overall level.

"We reached the League Cup Final after eliminating Liverpool and Tottenham, and only lost on penalties to Manchester City. In the Europa League we won 12 and drew three, and we scored more than anyone else. I think that after tonight our season went from good to extraordinary."

A cagey first half in Baku gave way to an action-packed second in which Chelsea largely outplayed Arsenal to end their rivals' hopes of playing UEFA Champions League football next season.

Olivier Giroud, Pedro and Eden Hazard all netted within 20 minutes of the break, and the Belgian added the fourth 18 minutes from time after Alex Iwobi's 69th-minute wonder strike (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1133855538033451009

It is widely expected Hazard, 28, will leave Chelsea after seven years at the club:

Real Madrid want Eden Hazard to be their first signing of the summer and be presented as soon as possible (next week even). They do not plan a revolution at the side, just key changes pic.twitter.com/e8ZsqcWrJt

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) May 30, 2019

Chelsea are under a two-window transfer ban, so their best player's departure could make things difficult next term.

They finished 27 points behind champions City in 2018-19, and without the chance to replace Hazard—who contributed 16 goals and 15 assists this term in the English top flight—that gap could get wider next season.   

If Sarri is wavering on whether to stay or go, that could make the difference, as he would have a squad capable of challenging for multiple domestic honours and the Champions League at Juventus.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted Arsenal's summer transfer plans could be affected by their failure to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League. 

Chelsea thrashed the Gunners 4-1 in Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan, to deny Arsenal their last route into Europe's top-tier competition.

Emery told reporters after the result that recruitment efforts could be impacted as a result: "Maybe, but I think we are a big team, and I think Arsenal are a big name in the football world."

Eden Hazard scored twice for Chelsea along with goals from Pedro and former Gunners forward Olivier Giroud, while Alex Iwobi scored a thunderbolt consolation at 3-0 down (U.S. only):

https://twitter.com/brlive/status/1133912593175908354

Emery took Arsenal to fifth in the Premier League in his maiden campaign with the club, only a slight improvement on the run to sixth that Arsene Wenger recorded in his final season.

The Spaniard went on to say he felt there were players in the squad who had "the possibility to improve and grow up with us." Most of his recruitment last summer involved more senior stars, but Emery has also opened first-team opportunities for young players in the squad.

It's uncertain how much Arsenal can afford to spend on players this summer, though journalist James Benge argued their crop of youth players could provide a strong spine:

Arsenal have Nelson, Smith Rowe, Willock, Mavropanos and a lot of other talented youngsters on the books. Incoming technical director and Sanllehi could do much worse than simply tell Emery, 'play the kids'

— James Benge (@jamesbenge) May 29, 2019

Aside from a dent in potential earnings, missing the Champions League is almost certain to rule Arsenal out of certain signings unwilling to play for a club that won't feature.

The north Londoners have lost in three major European finals since 2000 and ended their second successive season without any silverware.

It makes Arsenal's recruitment efforts more difficult, though there's no guarantee a greater profile or expense guarantees a better product.

Mezut Ozil is contracted to Arsenal until 2021 and earns a reported £350,000 per week, but the midfielder was jeered for his limp display against Chelsea, per blogger Tim Stillman:

Another observation, I’ve heard some players ‘get it’ from Arsenal fans in recent years, but the booing Mesut Özil took when subbed was the most brutal I’ve heard at Arsenal. Savage.

— Tim Stillman (@Stillmanator) May 29, 2019

His decline at the Emirates Stadium this season is an example of a high-value asset not performing to  optimum levels and the potential pitfalls of signing big talents.

The transfer window opened on May 16 and will close on Thursday, August 8.