Spanish Europa/Conference League Teams: A Quarterfinal Preview | OneFootball

SIX Spanish teams have reached the business end of the season in UEFA competitions with clinical efficiency. This is the best showing of any European league; England’s Premier League is second with five.

In this article we’ll examine the three teams in UEFA’s Europa and Conference Leagues. The three Champions League sides (Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid) were previewed here.

Real Betis and Celta Vigo are looking to advance in the Europa league, while Rayo Vallecano are still alive in the Conference League.

Spanish Teams in Europe: Celta Vigo, Real Betis (UEL)

Celta Vigo vs Freiburg Preview

Leg 1: Europa-Park-Stadion, Freiburg, GermanyDate: Thursday, April 9 @ 3:00pm ET

Claudio Giraldez’s Celta Vigo can’t stop flying this season. Sixth in the La Liga table, off the back of beating Valencia away on Sunday and dispatching Lyon in the previous round, the Galicians come in as favorites for this round. They have only had three losses in their last 13 games. Celta earned 13 points in the UEL league phase, taking 16th spot and then beating PAOK and Lyon in the last two rounds to now face off against Freiburg, who finished 7th in the league phase.

Considering Celta Vigo will face 20th-place Real Oviedo between their two fixtures against Freiburg, they can absolutely afford to go all out playing their full-strength squad for both fixtures without worrying about slipping in La Liga. They are only one point behind fellow Europa League quarterfinalists Real Betis.

Celta are in great attacking form, having scored eight goals in their last three games. Their forwards Borja Iglesias and Ferran Jutgla have scored 11 and 7 goals so far in La Liga, taking on the mantle from the evergreen Iago Aspas. Celta Vigo have now scored in 10 consecutive matches and six away games in a row as well. The Galician side have also scored in their last 13 games in European competition, opening the scoring in their last seven Europa League matches.

Against German opponents, they have won just one of their six matches and have never won in Germany, where the first leg takes place. This is also Celta’s first European run since 2016/17, when they famously reached the semifinals before being eliminated by Manchester United.

Team News:Carl Starfelt, Miguel Roman, Iago Aspas and Matias Vecino won’t feature for Celta Vigo due to injuries.

Real Betis vs SC Braga Preview

Leg 1: Braga Municipal Stadium, PortugalDate: Wednesday, April 8 @ 12:45pm ET

Real Betis, just like Celta Vigo, have been on a similar trajectory. Fifth in La Liga, drew to Espanyol over the weekend and dispatched Panathinaikos 4-1 over two legs in the previous round. Aside from the Panathinaikos victory though, they have had a mixed bag of recent results. They have only won two of their last nine games, with their last win in La Liga coming almost two months ago in February. They had a great UEL league phase, finishing 4th with 17 points and qualifying automatically.

Their away record isn’t promising considering they will be playing their first leg in Portugal. Betis have also failed to score in both their last two Europa League away matches, losing at PAOK and Panathinaikos. Real Betis has won just two of their last eight away matches.

It’s worth noting that Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis are the runners-up of last season’s UEFA Conference League, so a deep run into the competition is something they have recent experience with. Their only concern in La Liga right now is to fight for a European spot. They are fifth and top four is out of their reach. If they win the Europa League, they will qualify for the Champions League anyway. They can’t afford to finish outside of Europe in the league.

Real Betis have faced Portuguese opponents six times, winning three times. This is their first-ever Europa League quarterfinal. Betis come into this fixture having won their last six two-legged ties in UEFA competition.

Team News:Captain Isco, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Angel Ortiz won’t feature for Los Beticos due to injuries.

Spanish Teams in Europe: Rayo Vallecano (UECL)

Rayo Vallecano vs AEK Athens Preview

Leg 1: Estadio de Vallecas, Madrid, SpainDate: Thursday, April 9 @ 12:45pm ET

Rayo Vallecano are fighting an uphill battle. The modest but passionate Madrid outfit based in the district of Vallecas is struggling to choose between European glory or avoiding relegation.

Rayo Vallecano might be sitting 12th in La Liga, which looks safe from a distance. But the mid to low end of the table shifts very quickly in Spain. They are only 6 points off Elche in 18th, who they beat 1-0 over the weekend. Had Elche beaten Rayo, the Conference League might have been all but given up just to maintain position in La Liga.

Rayo is playing really well in Europe, finishing 5th in the Conference League league phase and securing automatic qualification. Rayo progressed to this stage after beating Turkish side Samsunspor 3-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16. This is only the second-ever European campaign for Rayo Vallecano, who last played in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup.

Rayo Vallecano have won seven of their eight previous two-legged European ties. In fact, they have won the first leg in six of those eight ties. The second-leg defeat against Samsunspor in the Round of 16 was their first home loss in the competition this season.

Team News:Both Fran Perez and Ilias Akhomach will miss out for Rayo Vallecano due to injuries.