Groundhog Day, although traditionally celebrated on February 2nd, seems to have arrived early for two football teams with a curious sense of déjà vu. The draw for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League playoffs took place on Friday, and the results might make the cynical weatherman Phil Connors from the movie “Groundhog Day” feel an odd familiarity.
Champions League Reunions
The most outstanding clash in the Champions League will be an instant rematch between Real Madrid and Benfica, who faced each other in the group stage recently. A dramatic header in the last gasp by Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, kept José Mourinho’s team in the competition.Repeated clashes in the Europa League
But they are not the only teams that will face each other again in the knockout stages of European football. Ludogorets of Bulgaria and Ferencváros of Hungary have been paired to play a two-legged tie in the Europa League play-off round. This means that both teams will make history by facing each other for the fourth and fifth time this season, despite playing in completely different national leagues. According to data, this will be the first time that the same two teams will face each other five times in the same season in a European competition. Previously, there have been 32 occasions in which two teams have faced each other four times. It all began in August, when Ludogorets and Ferencváros faced each other in two matches corresponding to the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The first leg resulted in a 0-0 draw in Razgrad, Bulgaria, before Ferencváros won the return leg at home 3-0 in Budapest, Hungary.
Their fourth group stage match? Indeed: a home clash against Ludogorets on November 6, which ended with a 3-1 victory for Ferencváros.
After both teams finished in the middle of the table in the Europa League group stage, they were paired on Friday in a playoff, with the first leg on February 18/19 in Ludogorets and the second leg a week later, on February 25/26, in Ferencváros. The good news for both teams is that this fifth match will mean an exit from this time loop. One team will advance to the round of 16 and the other will be out of Europe completely.
