MILAN - Top leagues all across Europe will take a break for the next fortnight with international friendlies and qualifiers scheduled. 11 Nerazzurri will be involved with their respective national teams and, when they return, all their focus will be on Serie A and the Europa League. On the subject of the Europa League, we decided to check in on the progress of Inter's opponents in the group stage.
Dnipro (away, 18 September, kick-off 19:00), for instance, currently sit second in the table. They lost ground on league leaders Shakhtar in their last match however, only managing a draw at home to Vorskla. The Ukrainian side made it into the group stage by beating Hajduk Split in the play-offs. They have scored eight and only conceded one in their last five top flight games. Coach Myron Markevych has favoured a 4-4-2 thus far, with the ability to switch to a 4-2-3-1.
Qarabağ (home, 2 October, 21:05 kick-off) also drew their most recent league fixture. Their game against Baku ended 2-2. The Azerbaijanis currently sit ninth in the table and upset Dutch side Twente to take their place in the groups. Coach Qurban Qurbanov fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation in their last game.
Saint-Étienne (home, 23 October, 21:05 kick-off) began the season with wins against Guingamp and Reims in Ligue 1. A 0-0 draw with Rennes followed that, before they travelled to Paris last weekend. PSG thumped Sainté 5-0 with Ibrahimovic scoring a hat-trick. Coach Christophe Galtier has opted for a 4-5-1 in domestic action although he switched his system on several occasions against Karabükspor in the play-off.
