Nyon (AP) – Amid the crisis surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, RB Leipzig has to play against Spartak Moscow in the round of 16 of the Europa League.
The German soccer runner-up meets the former club of coach Domenico Tedesco. That was the result of the draw at the headquarters of the European Football Union in Nyon on Friday. The first leg kicks off in Leipzig on March 10, with the second leg taking place on neutral ground a week later. Tedesco would have liked “other circumstances” to see his ex-club again. “I really hope that everything will be done to find a peaceful solution quickly,” he said after the draw.
The two other Bundesliga clubs caught attractive but feasible opponents: Bayer Leverkusen will face Atalanta Bergamo from Italy, Eintracht Frankfurt will face the Spanish club Betis Sevilla. Both play away first and have home rights in the second leg.
Dortmund conquerors Glasgow Rangers will play against Red Star Belgrade, and the games between FC Porto and Olympique Lyon, led by former Bayern professional Jérôme Boateng, and between FC Barcelona and Galatasaray Istanbul also promise to be exciting.
Due to the Russian attack on Ukraine, the UEFA Executive Committee had previously decided that Russian and Ukrainian club and national teams would have to play their home games at neutral venues until further notice.
Tedesco previously coached at Spartak
Tedesco had worked at Spartak from October 2019 to the end of May 2021 before his engagement in Leipzig, which began last December. “It’s a special game for me, that’s clear. I had a great time at Spartak, where I met a lot of great people and made friends,” he said. In terms of sport, it is anything but an easy task. “I know the team well and what they are capable of. You saw that in the Europa League when they won a really tough group. But of course our goal is to get through.”
Leverkusen’s sports director Simon Rolfes described the duel with Bergamo as the “top game of this round”, in which two strong attacking teams met. “We have home rights in the second leg and we want to go far in the Europa League this year. They’re good opponents, but we’re good too,” said Rolfes. Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane spoke of an “exciting and sportingly difficult task”.