‘I want to see our players on fire’ – Xhaka embracing Europa League challenge

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Captain Granit Xhaka wants to see Sunderland’s players “on fire” as they prepare to begin their Europa League campaign against AZ Alkmaar.

Wednesday’s game will only be Sunderland’s fifth in European competitions, after four games in the 1973-74 Cup Winners’ Cup – the Black Cats beat Vasas SC in the first round (3-0 aggregate) before losing to Sporting CP in the round of 16 (2-3 aggregate).

With this their first game in major European competitions since November 7, 1973, after a gap of 52 years and 313 days, only Go Ahead Eagles (59y 353d) and Union Saint-Gilloise (57y 336d) have had longer gaps between matches in such competitions.

Xhaka has urged his team-mates to rise to the occasion at the Stadium of Light, knowing they have a huge challenge on their hands.

“I want to see the stadium on fire and our players on fire,” Xhaka said.

“We know we wrote something historic last season and now we can start to feel the excitement. The stadium will be on fire.

Let’s create another special atmosphere tomorrow…  pic.twitter.com/hvwxJv63x0

— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) September 15, 2026

“We deserve to be where we are. There is nothing better than competing in European football.

“European football is different to the Premier League and it is challenging, but the mood is very positive.

“We need to separate the Premier League and Europa League and prepare in the right way.”

Only eight players have made more Europa League appearances (since the 2009-10 rebrand) than Xhaka (63), with his most recent game coming in the 2023-24 final for Bayer Leverkusen, a 3-0 loss to Atalanta.

The Switzerland international also lost in the 2018-19 showpiece with Arsenal against Chelsea, going down 4-1.

AZ have lost all 11 of their previous European matches away to English opposition by an aggregate score of 31-9, losing in England five times across the last four seasons (v West Ham, Aston Villa, Tottenham twice and Crystal Palace).

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