The Groundhog Day Derby: Two teams set to face each other five times in Europe this season.
Groundhog Day is not until Monday, Feb. 2. However, for two soccer teams experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu, it may feel as though it has arrived early.
The playoff draws for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League were conducted on Friday, and the outcomes would likely cause Bill Murray’s jaded weatherman Phil Connors to cringe in familiarity.
The most significant matchup in the Champions League is an immediate rematch between Real Madrid and Benfica, who faced each other in the league phase earlier this week, where a dramatic last-minute headed goal from Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin kept José Mourinho’s squad in the tournament.
However, they are not the only teams set to compete again in the knockout stages of European football.
Bulgaria’s Ludogorets and Hungary’s Ferencváros have been paired against each other over two legs in the Europa League playoff round, marking their fourth and fifth encounters this season despite competing in entirely separate domestic leagues.
Their initial meeting occurred in August during the two-legged third qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first match ended in a 0-0 stalemate in Razgrad, Bulgaria, followed by Ferencváros securing a 3-0 victory in their home leg a week later in Budapest, Hungary.
However, Ferencváros was defeated by FK Qarabag in the final qualifying round, resulting in their drop to the Europa League.
Their fourth encounter in the league phase? It was indeed a home match against Ludogorets on Nov. 6, which concluded with a 3-1 triumph for Ferencváros.
After both teams finished in midtable during the Europa League league phase, they were drawn together on Friday in a playoff, with the first leg scheduled for Feb. 18/19 at Ludogorets, and the return leg a week later on Feb. 25/26 at Ferencváros.
The positive aspect for both teams is that this fifth match will provide an end to this repetitive cycle for them — one team will progress to the round of 16, while the other will be eliminated from Punxsutawney — or rather, Europe — entirely.
