UEFA Europa League 2016/17: Ranking the semi-finalists

The UEFA Europa League 2016/17 is nearing its conclusion and the winner is just two steps away from lifting the trophy and clinching a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.

The draw threw up two interesting fixtures in the form of Celta Vigo facing Manchester United, while Ajax and Lyon are set to clash in the other semi-final. This draw came right on the heels of the Champions League draw that led to the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico Madrid, while Juventus were pitted against AS Monaco.

Each of the Europa League semi-finalists come from a different country and have coursed various paths to reach the final four. However, some of the teams have a better chance of winning the trophy than the others. This will be the first time in 4 years that there will be a new winner as Sevilla won it in the last three years.

So, here is the ranking of the semi-finalists based on their chances to win the Europa League.

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#4 Celta Vigo

Iago Aspas is crucial for Celta Vigo’s hopes in the Europa League

The Spanish representation in the competition, Celta Vigo, are one of the three teams in the semi-finals of the Europa League for the first time. Os Celestes are currently languishing in 10^th place in the La Liga table after 32 games and winning the Europa League is their best route to European football next season.

They finished runners-up in their group consisting of Dutch club Ajax, Belgian side Standard Liege and Greek outfit Panathinaikos. In the knockout stages, they beat Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Krasnodar from Russia and Belgian representative Genk to reach the final four.

However, they have an illustrious and tough opponent in Manchester United and Os Celestes will have to step up their game if they have to progress. In order to win the trophy, they will need their defensive duo of Gustavo Cabral and Hugo Mallo to keep it tight at the back, and Liverpool flop Iago Aspas to continue his fine scoring form, which has seen him score 24 goals this season so far, only behind Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez on the scoring charts.

#3 Ajax

Kasper Dolberg has a huge responsibility on his young shoulders for Ajax to win the Europa League

One of the esteemed members of European football and the only winners of the tournament out of the final four, having won in 1992, Ajax are also the only side left who are still in contention to win the league title. The Dutch side are four points behind leaders Feyenoord and boast of one of the youngest sides with the likes of Justin Kluivert, son of former player and current sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain, Patrick Kluivert, and Kasper Dolberg, who is just 19 years of age but has scored 19 goals so far this season.

The Dutch side topped the group which had Celta Vigo, and in the knockouts, they did well to beat Polish side Legia Warsaw, Danish outfit FC Kobenhavn and German team Schalke, who posed the greatest threat and Ajax had to dig deep to qualify in extra-time.

Now, they are up against French side Lyon, who are an experienced outfit and with the second leg away from home, Ajax need top performances to win the semi-final and give themselves a shot to win the trophy for the second time in their history.

#2 Lyon

Olympique Lyonnais have a good chance of winning the Europa League

One of the two teams favourite to win in Sweden on 24^th May, French outfit Lyon are the only team left in the Europa League who have entered the knockout stages, having finished third in their Champions League group stage. They suffered narrow defeats to Juventus and Sevilla in the Champions League but have made the most of their chance in the Europa League, led by the impressive Alexandre Lacazette up front and supported well by Nabil Fekir.

Lyon are currently out of the running for the Ligue 1 title and are in 5^th place after 33 games. In the Europa League knockouts, Lyon overcame Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, Italian heavyweight, AS Roma, and most recently, Turkish outfit Besiktas on penalties.

They are up against Ajax in the semi-finals and can be considered slight favourites for the tie as well as for winning the trophy and their superstar striker Lacazette, with a Whoscored.com rating of 7.85 and 31 goals so far this season, is the key.

#1 Manchester United

Manchester United are the tournament favourites and have already won a trophy this season

The outright favourites since the start of the tournament, and expectedly in the final four, English powerhouse Manchester United, will consider it a failure if they end up with nothing less than the trophy. The Red Devils boast of the best squad with quality in abundance all over the pitch and have a manager who has won multiple titles across various countries in Jose Mourinho.

A transition season saw the Manchester side fall out of the title fight early, but are in a tight battle to finish in the top four in the domestic league in order to clinch Champions League qualification. However, Europa League offers a better route for the club and currently, they are well-placed to win the tournament.

Despite the quality in their squad, the Red Devils have failed to dispatch the teams they faced in the knockouts, St. Etienne, FC Rostov and Anderlecht, with ease, and Marcus Rashford had to score in extra-time to beat the Belgian outfit in the quarters.

Their star player who has been single-handedly guiding the side, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury and yet the team possesses quality in the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Wayne Rooney and David De Gea.

The second leg at home ensures they can get the job done and the Red Devils can definitely get past either of Ajax or Lyon in the final to win their first ever Europa League.