2019–20 UEFA Europa League knockout phase
Phase of the 49th UEFA Europa League
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The 2019–20 UEFA Europa League knockout phase began on 20 February with the round of 32 and ended on 21 August 2020 with the final at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne, Germany, to decide the champions of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.[1] A total of 32 teams competed in the knockout phase.[2]
Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Qualified teams
The knockout phase involved 32 teams: the 24 teams which qualified as winners and runners-up of each of the twelve groups in the group stage, and the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage.
Europa League group stage winners and runners-up
| Group | Winners (seeded in round of 32 draw) |
Runners-up (unseeded in round of 32 draw) |
|---|---|---|
| A |  Sevilla |
 APOEL |
| B |  Malmö FF |
 Copenhagen |
| C |  Basel |
Getafe |
| D |  LASK |
 Sporting CP |
| E |  Celtic |
 CFR Cluj |
| F |  Arsenal |
 Eintracht Frankfurt |
| G | Porto |
Rangers |
| H | Espanyol |
 Ludogorets Razgrad |
| I |  Gent |
VfL Wolfsburg |
| J |  İstanbul Başakşehir |
 Roma |
| K | Braga |
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| L | Manchester United |
 AZ |
Champions League group stage third-placed teams
| Seed | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Seeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H | Ajax |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 10 | Seeded in round of 32 draw |
| 2 | E | Red Bull Salzburg |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 7 | |
| 3 | F | Inter Milan |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 7 | |
| 4 | G | Benfica |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 7 | |
| 5 | D | Bayer Leverkusen |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | Unseeded in round of 32 draw |
| 6 | C |  Shakhtar Donetsk |
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 6 | |
| 7 | B |  Olympiacos |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 4 | |
| 8 | A | Club Brugge |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Disciplinary points; 8) Club coefficient (UCL Regulations Article 16.04).[3]
Format
Each tie in the knockout phase, apart from the final, was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level, the away goals rule was applied, i.e. the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advanced. If away goals were also equal, then extra time was played. The away goals rule was again applied after extra time, i.e. if there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team advanced by more away goals scored. If no goals were scored during extra time, the winners were decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the final, which was played as a single match, if the score was level at the end of normal time, extra time was played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score was still level.[2] The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:
- In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
- In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).
On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the final stages of the competition would feature a format change. The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final would be played in a single-leg format from 10 to 21 August 2020 in the German cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen. The matches were tentatively played behind closed doors, though spectators could be allowed subject to a review of the situation and the decisions of the national and local government.
Following the competition restarts in August 2020, a maximum of five substitutions were allowed, with a sixth allowed in extra time. However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time, and at half-time in extra time. This followed a proposal from FIFA and approval by IFAB to lessen the impact of fixture congestion.[4]
In the knockout phase, teams from the same or nearby cities (Porto and Braga) were not scheduled to play at home on the same day, due to logistics and crowd control. Consequently, UEFA adjusted to avoid such scheduling conflicts. For the round of 32, since both teams were seeded and play at home for the second leg, the home match of the team which was not domestic cup champions in the qualifying season, or the team with the lower domestic ranking (if neither team were the domestic cup champions, e.g. Braga for this season), was moved from Thursday to Wednesday. For the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, if the two teams were drawn to play at home for the same leg, the order of legs of the tie involving the team with the lowest priority was reversed from the original draw.[5]
Schedule
The schedule was as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[1]
Following the round of 16 first legs, the competition was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[6][7] The final, originally scheduled to take place on 27 May 2020, was officially postponed on 23 March 2020.[8] A working group was set up by UEFA to decide the calendar of the remainder of the season.[9]
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 16 December 2019, 13:00 | 20 February 2020 | 27 February 2020 |
| Round of 16[a] | 28 February 2020, 13:00 | 12 March 2020 | 5–6 August 2020[b] |
| Quarter-finals | 10 July 2020, 13:00[c] | 10–11 August 2020[d] | |
| Semi-finals | 16–17 August 2020[e] | ||
| Final | 21 August 2020 at RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne[f] | ||
- The two round of 16 ties which did not play their first leg were played on 5–6 August 2020.
- Round of 16 second legs originally scheduled for 19 March 2020
- The quarter-final, semi-final, and final draws were originally scheduled for 20 March 2020
- The quarter-final first legs were originally scheduled for 9 April, and second legs 16 April 2020
- The semi-final first legs were originally scheduled for 30 April, and second legs 7 May 2020
- The final was originally scheduled for 27 May 2020
Matches could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.
Bracket
Round of 32
The draw for the round of 32 was held on 16 December 2019, 13:00 CET.[10]
Summary
The first legs were played on 20 February, and the second legs were played on 26, 27, and 28 February 2020.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6–3 | Espanyol | 4–0 | 2–3 |
| Sporting CP | 4–5 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 3–1 | 1–4 (a.e.t.) |
| Getafe | 3–2 | Ajax | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 5–2 | Porto | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Copenhagen | 4–2 | Celtic | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| APOEL | 0–4 | Basel | 0–3 | 0–1 |
| CFR Cluj | 1–1 (a) | Sevilla | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Olympiacos | 2–2 (a) | Arsenal | 0–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| AZ | 1–3 | LASK | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Club Brugge | 1–6 | Manchester United | 1–1 | 0–5 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 1–4 | Inter Milan | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 6–3 | Red Bull Salzburg | 4–1 | 2–2 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 5–4 | Benfica | 2–1 | 3–3 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 5–1 | Malmö FF | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Roma | 2–1 | Gent | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Rangers | 4–2 | Braga | 3–2 | 1–0 |
Matches
Wolverhampton Wanderers won 6–3 on aggregate.
İstanbul Başakşehir won 5–4 on aggregate.
Getafe won 3–2 on aggregate.
Bayer Leverkusen won 5–2 on aggregate.
| Copenhagen | 1–1 | Celtic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Copenhagen won 4–2 on aggregate.
Basel won 4–0 on aggregate.
| Sevilla | 0–0 | CFR Cluj |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
1–1 on aggregate; Sevilla won on away goals.
| Olympiacos | 0–1 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Arsenal | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
2–2 on aggregate; Olympiacos won on away goals.
LASK won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Club Brugge | 1–1 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Manchester United won 6–1 on aggregate.
Inter Milan won 4–1 on aggregate.
Eintracht Frankfurt won 6–3 on aggregate.
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2–1 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Benfica | 3–3 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Shakhtar Donetsk won 5–4 on aggregate.
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2–1 | Malmö FF |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Malmö FF | 0–3 | VfL Wolfsburg |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
VfL Wolfsburg won 5–1 on aggregate.
Roma won 2–1 on aggregate.
Rangers won 4–2 on aggregate.
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 28 February 2020, 13:00 CET.[45]
Summary
Six of the eight first leg matches were played on 12 March, while the remaining first legs and all second leg fixtures were postponed by UEFA due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[6] On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that the second legs would be played on 5–6 August 2020. In July 2020, they confirmed that the second legs would be played at the home team's stadium as normal. For the two ties that had not played their first legs, the matches were instead played in a single-leg format, at neutral venues in Germany.[46][47]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 1–3 | Copenhagen | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Olympiacos | 1–2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Rangers | 1–4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 1–3 | 0–1 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 1–5 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1–2 | 0–3 |
| Inter Milan | 2–0 | Getafe | ||
| Sevilla | 2–0 | Roma | ||
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 0–4 | Basel | 0–3 | 0–1 |
| LASK | 1–7 | Manchester United | 0–5 | 1–2 |
Matches
Copenhagen won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Olympiacos | 1–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers won 2–1 on aggregate.
Bayer Leverkusen won 4–1 on aggregate.
| VfL Wolfsburg | 1–2 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 3–0 | VfL Wolfsburg |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Shakhtar Donetsk won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Inter Milan | 2–0 | Getafe |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Basel won 4–0 on aggregate.
Manchester United won 7–1 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 10 July 2020.[6][56]
Summary
The matches were played on 10 and 11 August 2020.
Matches
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 4–1 | Basel |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Inter Milan | 2–1 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–1 | Sevilla |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals took place on 10 July 2020 (after the quarter-final draw).
Summary
The matches were played on 16 and 17 August 2020.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Sevilla | 2–1 | Manchester United |
| Inter Milan | 5–0 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
Matches
| Inter Milan | 5–0 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Final
The final was played at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws.[56]
Notes
- LASK played their home matches at Linzer Stadion, Linz, instead of their regular home stadium Waldstadion, Pasching.
- The Inter Milan v Ludogorets Razgrad match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.[33]
- Shakhtar Donetsk played their round of 32 home match at Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, and round of 16 home match at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv, instead of their regular home stadium, the Donbas Arena in Donetsk, due to the war in Donbas.
- The Braga v Rangers match was rescheduled to 26 February 2020 in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Porto v Bayer Leverkusen match.
- All of the round of 16 second leg matches, originally scheduled to be played on 19 March 2020, were postponed following the suspension of UEFA competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[6]
- The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The Olympiacos v Wolverhampton Wanderers match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece.[50]
- The VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.[50]
- The Shakhtar Donetsk v VfL Wolfsburg match, originally scheduled to be played at Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, prior to the suspension of the tournament, was later moved to NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv.
- The first leg of the Inter Milan v Getafe tie, originally scheduled to be played on 12 March 2020, 21:00, at San Siro, Milan, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and subsequent travel restrictions.[53] The second leg, originally scheduled for 19 March 2020, 18:55 CET at Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, Getafe, was subsequently postponed. UEFA later decided to stage the tie as a single-leg match, to be played at a neutral venue in Germany.
- The first leg of the Sevilla v Roma tie, originally scheduled to be played on 12 March 2020, 18:55, at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Seville, was postponed date due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain and subsequent travel restrictions.[53] The second leg, originally scheduled for 19 March 2020, 21:00 CET at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, was subsequently postponed. UEFA later decided to stage the tie as a single-leg match, to be played at a neutral venue in Germany.
- The Eintracht Frankfurt v Basel match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.[50]
- The LASK v Manchester United match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria.[50]
- The remainder of the competition, held in August 2020, was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[58]