by Aleks V | @aleksvee

Although the Round of 32 in this season's UEFA Europa League will feature mostly new match-ups, three of the 16 games that will be played on Thursday, February 19 will be a blast from the recent - and distant - past.

All games below kick off at 21:05 CET (3:05pm ET).

Villarreal - Red Bull Salzburg

Salzburg's Andreas Ulmer in 2009. Photo: weltfussball.at

The only sides in the Round of 32 to have previously met in the tournament, Villarreal and Salzburg last clashed in the group stage of the 2009-10 Europa League. Salzburg won 3-0 on aggregate, but both teams went on to the Round of 32. One Villarreal and three Salzburg players remain from the sides that played the 2nd leg that year. Villarreal midfielder Bruno Soriano has an unspecified injury. Salzburg defenders Christian Schwegler and Andreas Ulmer are fit, while Christoph Leitgeb is doubtful due to a knee injury.

Liverpool - Besiktas 
Liverpool last met Besiktas in the 2007-08 Champions League group stage, winning 9-2 on aggregate. After losing the first leg 2-1, the Reds, under then-coach Rafael Benitez, pummeled Besiktas 8-0 at Anfield. The loss remains not only Besiktas' biggest European defeat, but the biggest loss in any stage of the Champions League. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard is the only returning player from that historic match.

Liverpool went on to the semi-finals of the 2007-08 UCL, losing 4-3 to Chelsea in extra time.



Celtic - Inter
Perhaps one of the biggest match-ups in the Round of 32, Celtic and Inter have waited over four decades to face each other in European competition. They'll play the first leg at Celtic Park, which hosted the semi-final of the 1971-72 European Cup (Champions League), a showdown that ended in a victory for Inter after a penalty shootout. The Italians went on to lose 2-0 to Ajax in the final. Celtic beat Inter at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon to win the final of the 1966-67 European Cup, becoming the first British club to win the tournament.

Vidic and Evra celebrate their goal.

A full house at Old Trafford and three goals on the pitch were enough to make an exciting historic match-up. Sir Alex's strategy was spot-on - United was building up from the midfield and seemed in no hurry to score, but were keen whenever Luis Suarez got possession. There were always several players marking the Uruguayan striker. Despite the fierce rivalry and occasional booing of Luis Suarez by the home crowd, it was nice to see Evra and Suarez share a civil handshake, reminding us what the game was really all about. United were quietly putting on more pressure, but still hadn't tested Pepe Reina; there was a chaotic shuffle on the pitch from both sides. As soon as the visitors cranked up the speed, Danny Welbeck took advantage, getting the ball on the right and finding Tom Cleverley. Patrice Evra picked up the ball on the left of the box and presented van Persie with the perfect pass for a one-touch finish. As expected, RVP made his mark; the talented striker shows no signs of stopping. From a risky pass to the keeper to Gerrard's flub, Liverpool's mistakes were never-ending, giving both RVP and Welbeck ample room for opportunities.

United scored their next goal from a set piece, and once again, Robin van Persie's involvement was crucial. His delivery gave Evra the header that was taken up by Vidic near the net. But the skipper's goal was United's last trace of activity for awhile; three minutes later, Steven Gerrard tested the net. De Gea blocked the shot, but Sturridge was keen on the rebound. Another mistake would deprive the Red Devils of a possible 3 points. Sir Alex's team slowed down a bit after halftime, and the lack of attentiveness caused them to concede. Liverpool had some great defending, and Pepe Reina saved the team from a possible Kagawa goal. Nevertheless, Rodgers's team was still not fast enough to compete with the Red Devils. The problem was apparent in their passes and incomplete counters. United took away a well-deserved win and showcased their improvements, Welbeck and Kagawa among them. Sir Alex's side are only 3 days away from the second leg of their FA Cup match against West Ham, and today's game showed both their strong suits as well as potential weaknesses that could come back to haunt them in other tournaments.


English Premier League - 22nd Match Week
Saturday, January 13, 2013, 8:30AM EST

Manchester United vs. Liverpool - 2:1 (1:0)
Venue: Old Trafford (Manchester)
Referee: Howard Webb (Yorkshire)
Goals:
1:0 Robin van Persie (Asst. Patrice Evra) (19')
2:0 Nemanja Vidic (54')
2:1 Daniel Sturridge (57')

Half Time Stats:
Shots on target: 5:0
Shots off target: 3:1
Fouls committed: 7:6
Yellow cards: 0:1
Red cards: 0:0
Corners: 1:1
Offsides: 1:0
Possession: 57:43

Full Time Stats:
Shots on target: 5:3
Shots off target: 10:10
Fouls committed: 14:16
Yellow cards: 1:4
Red cards: 0:0
Corners: 3:1
Offsides: 1:1
Possession: 46:54

And the tables are indeed soon to be turned (literally) as teams in the English Premier League that we thought (and hoped) would be on top now have losing streaks. I'm referring mostly to Chelsea and Liverpool, of course. Though Liverpool still has a chance to make it to the top 5, despite having just lost 3:1 to Blackburn. Of course, the trip to get ahead in the scoreboard won't be easier any time soon, as Liverpool's next match is against Manchester United. Chelsea, meanwhile, just lost one-nothing to the team with the least amount of points on the scoreboard, Wolverhampton. The one goal that the Wolves scored was an own goal by a Chelsea player. Needless to say, things aren't looking good for the coaching staff. Which is upsetting because Chelsea started off the season with a bang, one victory after another. Then came the disappointing losses; a notable one was the game against Arsenal, who scored 3 goals against Chelsea's 1 goal. Arsenal is looking good in the standings, currently in third place with 40 points after having played 21 games. The current leaders, MU and Manchester City, have just a two-point difference, having accumulated 44 and 42 points, respectively. Though Manchester City has played two games more than United.
Another team I've been disappointed in recently is the Tottenham Hotspurs. Today's 2:1 loss to Everton showed that the team has lots of things to work on. Despite shining stars like Crouch, Van der Vaart, and Bale, and despite team manager Redknapp jotting strategy notes down on a napkin, there was a huge hole in the defense for part of today's match. Everton's second goal seemed effortless; in an absurdly fast-paced and fierce counterattack, Coleman basically won the game for Everton on the 75th minute. Fifteen minutes of game play plus four minutes of extra time weren't enough to grant the Spurs a tie at the very least. Raphael Van der Vaart, referred to as the "master of ceremonies" by the tv commentator, assisted the Spurs' only goal, which was scored by Crouch. Crouch got the ball in the net a second time, but the goal was disallowed on account of a clear offside.

In my list of clubs that should start improving, I've put the Spurs first, then Liverpool, then Chelsea.

Other games that were played today included Newcastle v/s West Ham, which ended with 5:0 and a win for Newcastle.