Initially, the draw was not "blind" - the teams were divided into two baskets according to the rating. Thus, for example, meetings between Northern Ireland and Ireland were immediately excluded. Both "island" teams were among the unseeded along with Sweden and Greece. Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Denmark made up the first basket. It is impossible to say that these fours are fundamentally different in terms of their level. And the results of the draw, which was carried out by the legendary former Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro, turned out to be amazing. Almost all participants recognized it as successful and were delighted. Believing that they have a good chance of success.
Least of all, perhaps, the fans of the Swedish national team are now optimistic. She got objectively the strongest team from the "seeded" basket - Italy. The Scandinavians are not very lucky with draws at all - we recall that in qualifying they fought in group A with France, Holland and Bulgaria. Coming into the joints from such a solid company, it is probably a shame to get the 2006 world champion as a rival. On the other hand, the Italians did not show any outstanding football in the qualifying tournament and looked rather mediocre. So in advance to give the victory to “Scuadre Azzurre” no one will. Skeptics quickly remembered that the last time the Italians could not qualify for the World Cup in 1958. And that tournament was held ... in Sweden.
As for other pairs, here the chances are more or less equal for everyone. Croatia looks a little better compared to Greece. But here the order of matches can play an important role. The first match will be held in Zagreb, which plays into the hands of the Hellenes. In a two-legged confrontation, it is traditionally more profitable to start on the road in order to have the support of their stands at the decisive moment. In Athens, people always get sick hot, so it is very difficult to predict the outcome of this battle.
The pairs turned out to be so even that almost all the participants of the draw were satisfied
But, perhaps, the results of the draw caused the greatest delight in Ireland - both in its northern part and on the main territory of the island. Before the start of the procedure head coach Michael O Neill said that of the four potential rivals, he personally would prefer someone from the Denmark-Switzerland pair, but not Italy or Croatia. And how he looked into the water. His team will play in the end with the Swiss, and Ireland will fight with the Danes.
There will be an interesting confrontation. Any coach will tell you that in the playoffs, the second leg is best played at home. On the other hand, if it comes to extra time, then this will give an advantage to the guests. In any case, we are now in for a very important period. We won two last match to get into the "junctions", and I really hope that in the coming month my players will not get injured while playing for clubs - commented on the results of the draw, Ireland head coach Martin O'Neill.
His "boys in green" will start the playoffs in Copenhagen, and the second leg will be held in Dublin. Interestingly, the balance of personal meetings in this pair is in favor of the Irish. The national teams met 13 times, and only three matches ended in favor of the Danes.
The most important thing is not to concede in the first match in Belfast. We usually play well at home and have only lost once in four years, thought another Oh Neil named Michael, who heads the Northern Ireland team.
timetable
Northern Ireland - Switzerland
Croatia - Greece
Sweden - Italy
Denmark - Ireland
Switzerland - Northern Ireland
Greece - Croatia
Italy - Sweden
The time indicated in the broadcast is Moscow
15:20. Well, we are waiting for the matches. The most interesting pair seems to be Sweden - Italy, but the other three are decent. In any case, everyone will try to get to the World Cup in Russia, it remains only to wish the teams good luck. All the best!
15:10. First pair: Northern Ireland - Switzerland. Second pair: Croatia - Greece. Third pair: Denmark - Ireland. Fourth pair: Sweden - Italy.
15:00. The draw has begun! First, as usual, the official and solemn part.
14:55. Participants and representatives of football delegations are already in the hall. Starting very soon. Everyone recognizes their opponent.
14:45. The draw will begin soon, but for now, we remind you once again who will definitely compete on all continents.
14:30. Let's remember the pleasant. Exactly 10 years ago, the Russian national team beat England (2:1) in the Euro 2008 qualifying match, held at Luzhniki. Double was designed by Roman Pavlyuchenko.
14:15. The hosts of the ceremonies are already known. They are the Mexican journalist Vanessa Huppenkoten and the famous Spanish defender Fernando Hierro.
14:00. Greetings to all football lovers! We are glad to bring to your attention the text broadcast of the draw play-offs European qualification. The start of the ceremony, which will take place in Zurich, is scheduled for 15:00 Moscow time, but we start our broadcast in advance in order to have time to introduce you to interesting facts.
So, the owners of 23 out of 32 vouchers have already been determined. Europe at the 2018 World Championship will be represented by 14 teams, including the host team of Russia. According to the results of the group stage of the European qualification, nine teams won the right to play in Russia. In the play-off round, the top eight teams from the teams that finished second in their groups will fight for the remaining four places.
10 Facts You Might Have Missed About 2018 World Cup Qualifiers
Without Messi again will not do.
As for the technical regulations, as reported on the official FIFA website, eight teams will be divided into two pots, one of which will include four teams that occupy higher places in the FIFA world rankings as of October 16, 2017. According to it, the four higher ranked teams - Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Denmark - form the first pot, while the remaining four - Northern Ireland, Sweden, Ireland and Greece - are relegated to the second pot.
First, one ball will be drawn from the first basket, then from the second basket, after which they will be placed in the third basket. Then both balls will be mixed and taken out one by one, determining which of the teams will play the first match at home. With the rest of the balls, a similar procedure will be done.
Finally, we recall that the first legs of the Champions League will be held on April 3 and 4, and the return legs on April 10 and 11.
Thanks for being friends with us. Write in the comments your expectations from the matches of the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the Champions League. Well, stay with the Sport Arena!
Third pair
Atlético - Sporting L
Fourth pair
Lazio — Salzburg
Second pair
Arsenal - CSKA
First couple
Leipzig — Marseille
The ceremony has begun. All the traditional formalities and so on.
Eric Abidal, the ambassador of the Europa League final in Lyon, will pull the balls.
It's time to once again remind those who have not seen or have not yet done
Let's remember how the clubs reached the quarterfinals of the tournament
Salzburg defeated Borussia Dortmund. First leg - 2:1, second leg - 0:0
Lisbon Sporting hardly beat Viktoria Pilsen. First leg 2:0, second leg 1:2 (in extra time)
Lazio coped with Dynamo. First leg - 2:2, second leg - 2:0
Arsenal confidently defeated Milan. First leg - 2:0, return 3:1
Leipzig passed the Zenith. First leg - 2:1, second leg - 1:1
Marseille easily dealt with Athletic. First leg - 3:1, second leg - 2:1
CSKA snatched a ticket from Lyon. First leg - 0:1, second leg - 3:2
Atlético destroyed Lokomotiv. First leg - 3:0, second leg - 5:1
In the meantime, let's move on to the Europa League. Everything there is no less interesting.
The top eight teams in the tournament were:
Salzburg, Sporting L, Lazio, Arsenal, Leipzig, Marseille, CSKA, Atlético
What do you think about the results of the draw? Will there be surprises or will the favorites advance? Leave your comments!
Third pair
Juventus - Real Madrid
Fourth
Liverpool — Manchester City
Second pair
Seville — Bavaria
First couple
Barcelona — Roma
We were reminded that teams from the same country do not get divorced in the quarterfinals. Just like in the Europa League.
And Andriy Shevchenko took the stage. Everything will start now!
The event has already started. We are shown the brightest moments of the 1/8 finals.
Recall that the head coach of the Ukrainian national team will pull the balls Andrey Shevchenko. He is the ambassador of the Champions League final, which will take place on May 26 in Kiev. For him, this procedure in the current season is normal.
Before the fuss of the draw begins, we will remind you of an important point
Sport Arena has launched its own Android app. Everything is convenient, simple and to the point. Well, you understand.
Recall the results of the 1/8 finals
Barcelona went through to the 1/8 finals, having dealt with Chelsea. First leg - 1:1, second leg - 3:0
Real beat PSG. The first match - 3:1, the return - 2:1.
Manchester City dealt with Basel. First leg - 5:0, return 1:2
Liverpool beat Porto. First leg - 5:0, second leg - 0:0
Bayern easily beat Besiktas. The first match 5:0, the second leg - 3:1.
Roma passed Shakhtar. The first match - 1:2, return 1:0.
Juventus beat Tottenham Hotspur on aggregate. The first match - 2:2, the return - 2:1.
Sevilla sensationally defeated Manchester United. The first match is 0:0, the second leg is 2:1.
Teams that qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League
Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Liverpool, Manchester City, Roma, Juventus, Bayern
Good afternoon friends! Friday's main event in European football will be the draws for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Europa League.
As usual, the Champions League team pairs will be determined starting at 13:00, and in the Europa League the balls will be drawn at 14:00.
