NYON (Reuters) – Manchester United were handed a tricky Europa League last 16 tie against Real Sociedad while Tottenham Hotspur will play Dutch side AZ Alkmaar after the draw was held on Friday.
The two English sides have struggled in the Premier League this season, with Spurs 12th and United 15th, and winning the second-tier Europa League may be the only way they can return to the Champions League next season.
United and Spurs finished in the top four of the Europa League group stage to avoid the playoffs and will play their respective second legs at home.
United and Real Sociedad have met before in the Europa League, with the English side knocking them out in the last 32 in 2021 while they won a game each in the group stage in 2022.
Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium will host the final in May and the Spanish side will play Serie A side AS Roma.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, who squeezed through to the playoffs in last place, knocked out Anderlecht with a 5-2 aggregate win after the second leg was briefly paused due to crowd trouble, and they will face Scottish side Rangers.
Should Fenerbahce reach the final, Mourinho could potentially face three of his former teams — Roma, United and Spurs.
German side Eintracht Frankfurt, who won the title in 2022, will face Eredivisie leaders Ajax Amsterdam while Greece’s Olympiacos, who have the competition’s top scorer in Ayoub El Kaabi (seven goals this season), take on Bodo/Glimt.
The Norwegian side are on a fairytale run in the Europa League where they overcame a 2-1 deficit against Twente in the playoff and won 5-2 in extra time on Thursday (6-4 on aggregate) to advance.
EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 16
Viktoria Plzen v Lazio
Bodo/Glimt v Olympiacos
Ajax Amsterdam v Eintracht Frankfurt
AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham Hotspur
AS Roma v Athletic Bilbao
Fenerbahce v Rangers
Steaua Bucharest v Olympique Lyonnais
Real Sociedad v Manchester United
* Team mentioned second play return leg at home
EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS
QF1: Bodo/Olympiacos v Plzen/Lazio
QF2: AZ/Spurs v Ajax/Frankfurt
QF3: Fenerbahce/Rangers v Roma/Bilbao
QF4: Bucharest/Lyon v Sociedad/United
* Team mentioned second play return leg at home
EUROPA LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS
Semi-final 1: QF2 winners v QF1 winners
Semi-final 2: QF3 winners v QF4 winners
* Team mentioned second play return leg at home
FIRST AND SECOND LEG DATES
Last 16: March 6 and March 13
Quarter-finals: April 10 and April 17
Semi-finals: May 1 and May 8
Final: May 21
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.