2018–19 UEFA Europa League
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
 The Olympic Stadium in Baku hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 26 June – 30 August 2018 Competition proper: 20 September 2018 – 29 May 2019 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 48+8 Total: 158+55 (from 55 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Chelsea (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Arsenal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 205 |
| Goals scored | 565 (2.76 per match) |
| Attendance | 5,038,109 (24,576 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Olivier Giroud (Chelsea) 11 goals |
| Best player(s) | Eden Hazard (Chelsea)[1] |
The 2018–19 UEFA Europa League was the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The final was played at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan,[2] between English sides Chelsea and Arsenal – which was the first Europa League final to feature two teams from one city and was also the first time that 4 Premier League resprentives (teams) were in both European finals. Chelsea defeated Arsenal 4–1 and earned the right to play against Liverpool, the winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. As winners, Chelsea would also have been qualified for the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage; however, since they had already qualified after finishing third in the Premier League, the berth reserved was given to the third-placed team of the 2018–19 Ligue 1 (Lyon) – the 5th-ranked association according to next season's access list.[3]
For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was used in the competition, where it was implemented in the final.[4]
As the title holders of the Europa League, Atlético Madrid qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, although they had already qualified before the final through their league performance. They were unable to defend their title as they advanced to the Champions League knockout stage, and were eliminated by Juventus in the round of 16.
Format changes[edit]
On 9 December 2016, UEFA confirmed the reforming plan for the UEFA Champions League for the 2018–2021 cycle, which was announced on 26 August 2016.[5][6] As per the new regulations, all teams that are eliminated in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds will get a second chance in the Europa League.
Association team allocation[edit]
213 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[7][8]
- Associations 1–51 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
- Associations 52–54 each had two teams qualify.
- Liechtenstein and Kosovo (association 55) each had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Kosovo as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).[9]
- Moreover, 55 teams eliminated from the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League (default number was 57, but 2 fewer teams competed in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League).
Association ranking[edit]
For the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2017 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2012–13 to 2016–17.[10]
Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:
- (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
|
|
|
Distribution[edit]
In the default access list, originally 17 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa League second qualifying round (Champions Path).[11][7] However, one fewer loser would be transferred since the Champions League title holders already qualified for the group stage via their domestic league. Therefore, only 19 teams entered the Champions Path second qualifying round (one of the losers from the Champions League first qualifying round would be drawn to receive a bye to the third qualifying round).[12]
In addition, originally three losers from the Champions League second qualifying round (League Path) were transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).[11] However, one fewer loser would be transferred since the Europa League title holders already qualified for the group stage via their domestic league. As a result, the following changes to the access list was made:[12]
- The cup winners of association 18 (Denmark) entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
- The cup winners of association 25 (Norway) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
- The cup winners of associations 50 (Wales) and 51 (Faroe Islands) entered the first qualifying round instead of the preliminary round.
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round (14 teams) |
| |||
| First qualifying round (94 teams) |
|
| ||
| Second qualifying round | Champions Path (18 teams) |
| ||
| Main Path (74 teams) |
|
| ||
| Third qualifying round | Champions Path (20 teams) |
|
| |
| Main Path (52 teams) |
|
|
| |
| Play-off round | Champions Path (16 teams) |
|
| |
| Main Path (26 teams) |
| |||
| Group stage (48 teams) |
|
|
| |
| Knockout phase (32 teams) |
|
| ||
Redistribution rules[edit]
A Europa League place was vacated when a team qualified for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualified for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place was vacated, it was redistributed within the national association by the following rules:[8]
- When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moving up one "place".
- When the domestic cup winners also qualified for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moving up one "place" if possible.
- For associations where a Europa League place was reserved for either the League Cup or end-of-season European competition play-offs winners, they always qualified for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier. If the League Cup winners had already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place was taken by the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions.
Teams[edit]
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[13]
- CW: Cup winners
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
- LC: League Cup winners
- RW: Regular season winners
- PW: End-of-season Europa League play-offs winners
- UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
- GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
- PO: Losers from the play-off round
- Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
- Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round
- Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
- PR: Losers from the preliminary round (SF: semi-finals; F: final)
 Valencia (UCL GS) |  Napoli (UCL GS) |  Shakhtar Donetsk (UCL GS) |  Galatasaray (UCL GS) |
| Inter Milan (UCL GS) |  Benfica (UCL GS) |  Club Brugge (UCL GS) |  Viktoria Plzeň (UCL GS) |
| Villarreal (5th) | Milan (6th)[Note ITA] | Akhisarspor (CW) | Dynamo Kyiv (UCL PO) |
| Real Betis (6th) |  Marseille (4th) | Jablonec (3rd) |  PAOK (UCL PO) |
 Eintracht Frankfurt (CW) | Rennes (5th) |  Zürich (CW) |  Spartak Moscow (UCL Q3) |
| Bayer Leverkusen (5th) | Krasnodar (4th)[Note RUS] |  Red Bull Salzburg (UCL PO) | Standard Liège (UCL Q3) |
| Chelsea (CW) | Sporting CP (3rd)[Note POR] |  Dinamo Zagreb (UCL PO) | Fenerbahçe (UCL Q3) |
| Arsenal (6th) | Vorskla Poltava (3rd) |  BATE Borisov (UCL PO) | Slavia Prague (UCL Q3) |
| Lazio (5th) | Anderlecht (3rd) |  MOL Vidi (UCL PO) |
| Champions Path | Main Path | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Malmö FF (UCL Q3) |  Astana (UCL Q3) | ||
 Celtic (UCL Q3) |  Spartak Trnava (UCL Q3) | ||
 Qarabağ (UCL Q3) |  Shkëndija (UCL Q3) | ||
| Champions Path | Main Path | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 CFR Cluj (UCL Q2) |  Ludogorets Razgrad (UCL Q2) | Zenit Saint Petersburg (5th)[Note RUS] | Olympiacos (3rd) |
 Midtjylland (UCL Q2) |  Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL Q2) | Braga (4th)[Note POR] | Rapid Wien (3rd) |
 Legia Warsaw (UCL Q2) |  HJK (UCL Q2) | Zorya Luhansk (4th) | Rijeka (2nd) |
 Hapoel Be'er Sheva (UCL Q2) |  Kukësi (UCL Q2) | Gent (4th) | Universitatea Craiova (CW) |
 Rosenborg (UCL Q2) |  Sūduva (UCL Q2) | İstanbul Başakşehir (3rd) | Brøndby (CW) |
 Cork City (UCL Q1)[Note UCL Q1] | Sigma Olomouc (4th) | Basel (UCL Q2) | |
| Luzern (3rd) | Sturm Graz (UCL Q2) | ||
 Feyenoord (CW) | |||
| Champions Path | Main Path | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 APOEL (UCL Q1) |  F91 Dudelange (UCL Q1) | Sevilla (7th) | Atromitos (4th) |
 Olimpija Ljubljana (UCL Q1) |  Crusaders (UCL Q1) | RB Leipzig (6th) | Asteras Tripolis (5th) |
 Valur (UCL Q1) |  Valletta (UCL Q1) | Burnley (7th) | LASK (4th) |
 Zrinjski Mostar (UCL Q1) |  The New Saints (UCL Q1) | Atalanta (7th) | Admira Wacker Mödling (5th) |
 Torpedo Kutaisi (UCL Q1) |  Víkingur Gøta (UCL Q1) | Bordeaux (6th) | Hajduk Split (3rd) |
 Spartaks Jūrmala (UCL Q1) |  Drita (UCL Q1) | Ufa (6th)[Note RUS] | FCSB (2nd) |
 Flora Tallinn (UCL Q1) |  Lincoln Red Imps (UCL PR F) | Rio Ave (5th)[Note POR] | Dynamo Brest (CW) |
 Sutjeska Nikšić (UCL Q1) |  FC Santa Coloma (UCL PR SF) | Mariupol (5th) | Jagiellonia Białystok (2nd) |
 Alashkert (UCL Q1) |  La Fiorita (UCL PR SF) | Genk (PW) | Djurgårdens IF (CW) |
| Beşiktaş (4th) | Hapoel Haifa (CW) | ||
| Sparta Prague (5th) | Aberdeen (2nd) | ||
| St. Gallen (5th) | AEK Larnaca (CW) | ||
| AZ (3rd) | Lillestrøm (CW) | ||
| Vitesse (PW) | |||
| Trakai (3rd) | Cefn Druids (PW) | St Joseph's (3rd) | Tre Fiori (3rd) |
| Gżira United (3rd) | KÍ Klaksvík (2nd) | Engordany (2nd) | Prishtina (CW) |
| Birkirkara (4th) | B36 Tórshavn (3rd) | Sant Julià (3rd) | |
| Bala Town (4th)[Note WAL] | Europa (CW) | Folgore (2nd) |
Notably one team that was not playing a national top division took part in the competition; Vaduz (representing Liechtenstein) played in 2017–18 Swiss Challenge League, which is Switzerland's second tier.
- Notes
- ^ Albania (ALB): In March 2018, Skënderbeu was handed a 10-year ban from UEFA club competitions over match fixing.[14][15] Since they finished as champions of the 2017–18 Albanian Superliga, the runners-up of the league, Kukësi, entered the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League instead of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. As a result, their Europa League first qualifying round berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Partizani.
- ^ Armenia (ARM): Shirak would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017–18 Armenian Premier League, but were penalized by the Football Federation of Armenia for match fixing,[16] and subsequently informed UEFA their withdrawal from competing in the Europa League.[17] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Pyunik.[citation needed]
- ^ Estonia (EST): FCI Tallinn would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017 Meistriliiga, but were disbanded and merged with Levadia Tallinn after the season.[18] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Narva Trans.
- ^ Italy (ITA): Milan qualified for the Europa League group stage as the sixth-placed team of the 2017–18 Serie A, but were originally banned by UEFA from European competition due to violations of Financial Fair Play regulations.[19] They appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the ban was overturned on 20 July 2018.[20][21]
- ^ Kazakhstan (KAZ): Ordabasy would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the third-placed team of the 2017 Kazakhstan Premier League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[22] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Tobol.
- ^ Moldova (MDA): Dacia Chișinău would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017 Moldovan National Division, but were disbanded after the season.[23] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Zaria Bălți.
- ^ Montenegro (MNE): Grbalj would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017–18 Montenegrin First League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[24] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Rudar Pljevlja.
- ^ Portugal (POR): Desportivo das Aves would have qualified for the Europa League group stage as the winners of the 2017–18 Taça de Portugal, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[25] As a result, the third-placed team of the 2017–18 Primeira Liga, Sporting CP, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round, the fourth-placed team of the league, Braga, entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and the second qualifying round berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Rio Ave.
- ^ Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland, but participate in the Europa League through one of the berths for the Republic of Ireland (any coefficient points they earn count toward Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland).
- ^ Russia (RUS): Tosno would have qualified for the Europa League group stage as the winners of the 2017–18 Russian Cup, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[26] As a result, the fourth-placed team of the 2017–18 Russian Premier League, Krasnodar, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round, the fifth-placed team of the league, Zenit Saint Petersburg, entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and the second qualifying round berth was given to the sixth-placed team of the league, Ufa.
- ^ Wales (WAL): Bangor City would have qualified for the Europa League preliminary round as the runners-up of the 2017–18 Welsh Premier League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[27] As a result, and because the third-placed team Connah's Quay Nomads were Welsh Cup winners, the berth was given to the fourth-placed team of the league, Bala Town.
- ^ Champions League (UCL Q1): Cork City were drawn from the first qualifying round losers to receive a bye to the third qualifying round, as one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa League second qualifying round (Champions Path), due to a Champions League group stage berth vacated by the Champions League title holders.[28]
Round and draw dates[edit]
The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[29]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 12 June 2018 | 28 June 2018 | 5 July 2018 |
| First qualifying round | 19 June 2018 (Champions Path) 20 June 2018 (Main Path) | 12 July 2018 | 19 July 2018 | |
| Second qualifying round | 26 July 2018 | 2 August 2018 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 23 July 2018 | 9 August 2018 | 16 August 2018 | |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 6 August 2018 | 23 August 2018 | 30 August 2018 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 31 August 2018 (Monaco) | 20 September 2018 | |
| Matchday 2 | 4 October 2018 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 25 October 2018 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 8 November 2018 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 29 November 2018 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 13 December 2018 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 17 December 2018 | 14 February 2019 | 21 February 2019 |
| Round of 16 | 22 February 2019 | 7 March 2019 | 14 March 2019 | |
| Quarter-finals | 15 March 2019 | 11 April 2019 | 18 April 2019 | |
| Semi-finals | 2 May 2019 | 9 May 2019 | ||
| Final | 29 May 2019 at Olympic Stadium, Baku | |||
Matches in the qualifying (including preliminary and play-off) and knockout rounds could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.
From this season, the kick-off times starting from the group stage were slightly changed to 18:55 CET and 21:00 CET. Kick-off times starting from the quarter-finals were 21:00 CEST.[11]
Qualifying rounds[edit]
In the qualifying and play-off rounds, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients (for Main Path),[30] or based on which round they qualified from (for Champions Path), and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties.
Preliminary round[edit]
In the preliminary round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients,[30] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. The draw for the preliminary round was held on 12 June 2018.[31] The first legs were played on 26 and 28 June, and the second legs were played on 5 July 2018.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europa | 1–6 | Prishtina | 1–1 | 0–5 |
| Sant Julià | 1–4 | Gżira United | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| Engordany | 3–2 | Folgore | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| B36 Tórshavn | 2–2 (4–2 p) | St Joseph's | 1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Birkirkara | 2–3 | KÍ Klaksvík | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Tre Fiori | 3–1 | Bala Town | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Cefn Druids | 1–2 | Trakai | 1–1 | 0–1 |
First qualifying round[edit]
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 20 June 2018.[32] The first legs were played on 10, 11 and 12 July, and the second legs were played on 17, 18 and 19 July 2018.
Notes
Second qualifying round[edit]
The second qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the second qualifying round (Champions Path) was held on 19 June,[28] and the draw for the second qualifying round (Main Path) was held on 20 June 2018.[32] The first legs were played on 26 July, and the second legs were played on 31 July, 1 and 2 August 2018.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cork City | Bye | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| The New Saints | 3–2 | Lincoln Red Imps | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Torpedo Kutaisi | 7–0 | Víkingur Gøta | 3–0 | 4–0 |
| Zrinjski Mostar | 3–2 | Valletta | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| FC Santa Coloma | 1–3 | Valur | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Sutjeska Nikšić | 0–1 | Alashkert | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| F91 Dudelange | 3–2 | Drita | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Spartaks Jūrmala | 9–0 | La Fiorita | 6–0 | 3–0 |
| APOEL | 5–2 | Flora Tallinn | 5–0 | 0–2 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 6–2 | Crusaders | 5–1 | 1–1 |
Notes
- ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.
Third qualifying round[edit]
The third qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 23 July 2018.[33] The first legs were played on 7 and 9 August, and the second legs were played on 16 August 2018.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2–1 | Zrinjski Mostar | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Legia Warsaw | 3–4 | F91 Dudelange | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Alashkert | 0–7 | CFR Cluj | 0–2 | 0–5 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 7–1 | HJK | 3–0 | 4–1 |
| Sheriff Tiraspol | 2–2 (a) | Valur | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Cork City | 0–5 | Rosenborg | 0–2 | 0–3 |
| Spartaks Jūrmala | 0–1 | Sūduva Marijampolė | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| The New Saints | 1–5 | Midtjylland | 0–2 | 1–3 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 3–5 | APOEL | 2–2 | 1–3 |
| Torpedo Kutaisi | 5–4 | Kukësi | 5–2 | 0–2 |
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyunik | 1–2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Dinamo Minsk | 5–8 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 4–0 | 1–8 (a.e.t.) |
| Sturm Graz | 0–7 | AEK Larnaca | 0–2 | 0–5 |
| Sarpsborg 08 | 2–1 | Rijeka | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 0–1 | Burnley | 0–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Zorya Luhansk | 3–3 (a) | Braga | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Hapoel Haifa | 1–6 | Atalanta | 1–4 | 0–2 |
| Genk | 4–1 | Lech Poznań | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Vitesse | 0–2 | Basel | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Nordsjælland | 3–5 |  Partizan | 1–2 | 2–3 |
| Hibernian | 0–3 | Molde | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Hajduk Split | 1–2 | FCSB | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Sevilla | 6–0 | Žalgiris | 1–0 | 5–0 |
| Sigma Olomouc | 4–1 | Kairat | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Slovan Bratislava |