Inter have been drawn in Group F of the Europa League alongside [in order of seeding]: France’s Saint-Etienne, Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.
Saint-Etienne (French Ligue 1, fourth)
Inter and Saint-Etienne represent the group’s most glamorous fixture and the 10-time Ligue 1 winners have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years after some difficult times. The French side returned to European competition for the 2013-14 Europa League season but were disappointingly knocked out by Esbjerg. After the shock exit, Les Verts will be expected to give a better showing this time around. After a very respectable fourth place finish in the 2013-14 French season, Saint-Etienne’s route to Group F began with their victorious play-off clash against Turkish side Karabukspor.
Former Monza defender Christophe Galtier is the long-serving coach of Saint-Etienne, having joined in 2009, and has done a good job since. Turkish striker Mevlut Erdinc was the club’s top scorer in the 2013-14 season, scoring 12 goals. Their captain and one-club man Loic Perrin is a a solid defender who can also play in midfield. The Saint-Etienne ranks also contain Florentin Pogba, the brother of Juventus’ Paul Pogba, but the Guinean international has rarely featured in his time with Les Verts.
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukrainian Premier League Runners-up)
Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk were impressive in the 2013-14 edition of the tournament, despite twice being beaten 2-1 by Fiorentina in the group stage. They reached the Round of 16 and came close to eliminating Tottenham Hotspur from the tournament after a 1-0 victory in Ukraine and taking the lead in the away leg, losing 3-2 on aggregate after being reduced to 10 men. Dnipro progressed to this stage of the current competition after beating Croatians Hajduk Split, and following their defeat to FC Kobenhavn in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
Former Ukrainian national team coach Myron Markevych is the man in the dugout after he replaced former Spurs and Real Madrid boss Juande Ramos back in May, 2014. The Ukrainian side’s star man is the winger Yevhen Konoplyanka who is still at the club despite speculation of a move abroad. Croatian duo Nikola Kalinic and Ivan Strinic, who are still full internationals, also constitute some of the team’s main threats.
It is not certain where they will play home European games due to conflict situation in eastern Ukraine. Most likely, Inter will travel to Kiev to play. It will be a tough test for the Italians on the road as Dnipro are a good team and Ukraine in the winter is never the easiest destination.
Qarabag (Azerbaijan Premier League Champions)
The champions of Azerbaijan Qarabag are the side that many would have wanted to avoid. The Nerazzurri must fly over 3,000 kilometres to the Tofiq Bahramov stadium in Baku, which is also home of the national side. Qarabag have played in the nation’s capital since they were forced out of their home Agdam in 1993, when the city fell under Armenian control. The club is well supported as the representatives of lost Azerbaijani territory.
The ‘Barcelona of the Caucasus’ are known to play a tiki-taka style of football under Gurban Gurbanov, who is the country’s most successful coach in European competition with 19 wins. Qarabag made it to group stages after a 1-1 aggregate score with Dutch side FC Twente took them through on away goals.
FC Salzburg coach paid tribute to the Azerbaijani’s abilities as a team and their desire to play attractive football after his side narrowly beat Qarabag over two legs in a Champions League Third Round qualifier. While it should be a comfortable affair at the San Siro for Inter, the away fixture could prove difficult on account of the travel time. It will not be difficult for Qarabag to motivate themselves for one of the biggest game’s in their history as they are only the second Azerbaijani team to reach the Group Stages in European competition.
Prediction
As the top seed, the Nerazzurri will fancy their chances of progressing to the knockout stages. Whilst it is not the hardest group on paper, qualification should not be taken for granted. Saint-Etienne and Dnipro are both good teams and the trips to Ukraine and Azerbaijan could prove quite difficult. Inter should progress and the key will be to win the home games. Even though they are the favorites, however, there is no guarantee that Inter will qualify as group winners.
