The Europa League is the second biggest european football competition and has an ability to cause a few surprises every once in a while and the 2019/20 edition of the competition certainly is no different to past tournaments to have taken place over the years.
In fact, there are a number of sides within a chance of creating an unlikely fairytale story in this year’s Europa League, with the likes of FC Kobenhavn, LASK and Getafe having caused a number of big surprises already.
The three football teams have all managed to reach the Round of 16 stage of the Europa League 2020 edition, which can be considered a remarkable achievement for clubs of their stature, especially when taking a look at how well they have managed to do throughout the competition to this point.
FC Kobenhavn
The Danish side are arguably one of the smallest sides still left in the UEFA competition, however that status should only further highlight how well the club have managed to do so far.
The club had a Round of 16 tie with İstanbul Başakşehir, although they did have a 1-0 deficit that they overturned, continuing their fairytale and progressing to the quarter-final stages of the Europa League where they will clash against Manchester United.
Nonetheless, FC Kobenhavn have managed to overcome a number of tough challenges since entering the UEFA Europa League in the Play-Off Round of Qualifying. The danish football team beat Latvian outfit Riga 3-2 on aggregate and ensured progression to the Group Stages.
They would then finish second in a group that contained Malmö FF, Dynamo Kiev and Lugano as they managed to win two and draw three of their six matches.
FC Kobenhavn’s biggest victory in the 2019/20 edition of the Europa League and perhaps one of the biggest shocks so far was their victory over Celtic in the Round of 32 as they managed to win 4-2 on aggregate as men such as Michael Santos, Pep Biel and Dame N’Doye all putting in stellar performances.
LASK Linz
LASK football team have also been one of the most surprising teams in the competition so far this season, as they have also managed to reach the Round of 16 stage of the 2019/20 Europa League. The Austrian football team have played extremely well since entering at the Group Stage of the #UEL and have certainly raised eyebrows.
The Austrian Bundesliga team were paired up with European giants Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg BK in a group that many would not have given them a chance of qualifying from. However, LASK would surprise everyone as they would go on to win four of their six matches, drawing one and losing just the one other as they topped the standings by a point from the Portuguese behemoths.
LASK’s impressive Europa League campaign continued in the Round of 32 as they managed to see off the challenge of Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar with a 3-1 aggregate victory. However, there their fairytale appears to be ending rather prematurely as they face an uphill battle to reach the quarter-finals.
The Austrian’s square off against Manchester United in the Europa League’s round of 16 and needed to overcome a 5-0 deficit which didn’t happen though. Marko Raguz has really caught the eye as the young forward has proven to be a handful for defences in front of goal.
Getafe CF SAD
Getafe football team are one of the other surprises to have emerged from the 2019/20 edition of the Europa League, as they have produced some brilliant performances to reach the Round of 16 stage of the competition.
The spanish football squad finished second in their Group Stage at the UEL as they were a point behind Basel, whilst managing to finish above Krasnodar and Trabzonspor before defeating Ajax in the Round of 32 with a 3-2 aggregate win following a great result at home.
The Europa League’s round of 16 tie saw them go up against Inter Milan in a single-leg affair, where the spanish football team lost by 2-0 ending the european dream. However, Individuals Angel, Kenedy and Jaime Mata have all played significant roles in helping the club to record this fantastic achievement
