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#3 Napoli (1989 UEFA Cup/Europa League winners)
Napoli finished second in the 2021-22 Europa League group stage, level on points with Spartak Moscow.
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After a poor first few games, the Italian side turned their fortunes around. They left it late, but eventually qualified for the knockouts. Napoli pipped Leicester City to second place in their group with a late winner against the English side on matchday six.
The 1989 UEFA Cup/Europa League winners haven’t seen much silverware in recent times. This season, Napoli are one of the favourites to win the Serie A title. They have a talented squad that is more than capable of going all the way.
Napoli missed out on Champions League qualification last season by a whisker, finishing a point behind Juventus. They are fourth in what has been a tight Serie A title race this season so far.
Napoli face Barcelona for a place in the Europa League Round of 16. Based on how Barcelona have been performing, Napoli will fancy their chances in this tie. A win against the Blaugrana would give them the confidence they need to win the competition for the first time after more than three decades.
#2 Barcelona
Since the departure of Lionel Messi, Barcelona have had a significant fall from grace. They have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage, and are languishing in eighth place in La Liga.
The Blaugrana endured their earliest Champions League exit in 20 years. They could only manage two wins this season to finish third in their group. Barcelona will now feature in the Europa League for the first time since 2003-04.
Barcelona will face Napoli for a place in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16. The five-time Champions League winners will look to salvage their season by winning their first Europa League title. However, Xavi will need the best performances from his men if they have to get the desired results.
#1 Borussia Dortmund (two-time UEFA Cup/Europa League finalists)
Borussia Dortmund will be disappointed to exit the Champions League before the knockout stage.
They finished level on points with Sporting (9), but the Portuguese side edged them on head-to-head. Dortmund have had a few disappointing games, recently but are currently second in the Bundesliga.
The Black and Yellows, Champions League winners in 1997, will look to add another European trophy in the form of the Europa League. Considering the presence of the unstoppable Erling Haaland in their ranks, Dortmund are arguably the strongest contenders to win this season's Europa League. The Norwegian seems to break records every time he steps on the pitch.
In February, Dortmund will welcome Scottish champions Rangers in the Europa League knockout playoffs. Dortmund fans will hope the likes of Haaland, Marco Reus, Giovanni Reyna and others will see their team over the line. Interestingly, Reyna’s father, Claudio, played for Rangers between 1999 and 2001.
