Europa League draw LIVE: Man Utd and Juventus discover quarter-final fate
Manchester United are the only English team left in the Europa League following Arsenal’s defeat to Sporting
Manchester United will face six-time winners Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-finals. Erik ten Hag’s side continued their quest for a cup treble as they saw off Real Betis and Barcelona to reach the last eight, and United have now been drawn with Spanish opposition for the third round in a row.
If United conquer record Europa League winners Sevilla then they will face either Juventus or Sporting in the semi-finals. Sporting defeated Arsenal on penalties to progress to the last eight.
In the other half of the draw, Jose Mourinho’s Roma will play Feyenoord in a rematch of last season’s Europa Conference League final, while Bayer Leverkusen will face Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.
Follow live updates from the Europa League draw, below:
Is this the year Man City finally win the Champions League?
What else do City have in their favour?
Pep Guardiola had a fully fit squad heading into Tuesday’s game, which is a fine position to be in at this stage of the season.
Phil Foden has also returned to form after a difficult spell, allowing Riyad Mahrez – an impressive performer through the winter months – something of a rest. City will hope they can return after the upcoming international break ready to hit the ground running.
They do not yet know their opponents for the last eight but, after Tuesday’s win and with their experience of going deep in the competition, there is no reason not to feel confident. Other clubs will certainly hope to avoid them in the draw.
Is this the year Man City finally win the Champions League?
Why did Pep Guardiola recently call for more from Kevin De Bruyne?
It does seem that City manager Guardiola has not been fully satisfied with the performances of De Bruyne lately, benching him for a number of games.
The Belgium midfielder’s stats are still good, but, given the high standards he has set in recent recent years, he is perhaps judged by a greater standard than most other players.
It could be that the World Cup has had an effect on his game. Guardiola, who has been critical of a few players this season, maybe hopes his words can rouse him ahead of a crucial few months. He performed well against Leipzig on Tuesday, capping City’s win with a fine goal in stoppage time.
Is this the year Man City finally win the Champions League?
Are other factors affecting Man City?
Yes, it is not just down to Haaland’s arrival. City had more players at the World Cup than any other club with 16 and that could be taking its toll while the defence has not had a settled look all season.
There were injuries at the start of the campaign, while the inexperienced Sergio Gomez has not been an effective replacement for the departed Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The emergence of Rico Lewis has been a positive but the issues that led to Joao Cancelo’s loan move in January caused further disruption and, having the likes of Nathan Ake, John Stones or even Bernardo Silva filling full-back positions, as they have at times, was not the plan at the start of the season.
They have kept four clean sheets in succession but there is a feeling they could still be vulnerable.
Is this the year Man City finally win the Champions League?
While Haaland is clearly doing what he was brought to the club to do, his presence has required an adjustment to the team that has not yet fully bedded in.
In previous seasons City have operated with a ‘false nine’ or had their centre-forwards moving into other attacking positions. Asking Haaland to do this too much would negate his considerable strengths.
City have therefore moderated their structure and, with players still getting used to this, it has looked clunky at times. With City not finding their usual levels of consistency this term, this has been highlighted whenever they have suffered a frustrating result.
Is this the year Man City finally win the Champions League?
Will the goals of Erling Haaland make the difference?
After City’s near-misses of recent years – the 2021 final and the semi-finals last year – it seemed to many that a fit and firing specialist centre-forward was all they were lacking.
In Erling Haaland they have clearly filled that gap.
After his stunning five-goal haul against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, the prolific Norway international has now scored a staggering 39 goals in 36 appearances for the club.
The 22-year-old is a ruthless goalscoring machine and City now seem to have all the pieces they need. They would certainly seem to have few excuses for another failure, but it is not so simple.
Can Man City finally win the Champions League?
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are right up there alongside Bayern and Real Madrid as potential favourites to win this tournament.
After finishing top of a group consisting of Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and FC Copenhagen, City faced RB Leipzig in the round of 16.
A controversial 1-1 draw in the first leg meant City had worked to do in the return fixture at the Etihad and they stepped up in style.
Erling Haaland bagged five goals on Tuesday and, along with goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne, the Premier League champions progressed 8-1 on aggregate.
Are they a team to be feared?
Real Madrid to win consecutive titles?
The 14x Champions League winners have picked up where they left off from last year’s competition.
Group F was more competitive than they would have thought but Los Blancos breezed through with some impressive displays including a ruthless 3-0 victory at Celtic after Karim Benzema had gone off injured.
In the round of 16, Real slipped two goals down to Liverpool at Anfield before a blistering display of attacking quality saw them score five times in 46 minutes.
Karim Benzema prodded another one past Alisson in the return leg and Carlo Ancelotti’s men marched on 6-2 winners on aggregate.
Bayern Munich among the favourites?
It’s been a near faultless campaign for Bayern Munich so far.
Six wins from six in the group stage, followed by two victories over a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. The Bavarians have only had one breach to their defence and there are echoes of the 2019/20 season when they won this competition.
Thibaut Courtois accepts Premier League power but says Spanish clubs can reign
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes the club’s continued success in Europe can offset the power of the Premier League.
For the fifth time in six seasons England’s top flight will have at least two representatives in the quarter-finals of the competition the Spanish giants have won a record 14 times.
Six Premier League teams have featured in the last five finals – two were all top-flight occasions – and Liverpool and Chelsea have won one apiece, which is the same number Real have won over the same period after three in four years from 2014-17.
So while English clubs may have the financial might, the LaLiga giants have shown they are still the side to be reckoned with at Europe’s elite level and a 6-2 aggregate victory over Liverpool put them into the last eight again.
Thibaut Courtois accepts Premier League power but says Spanish clubs can reign
Real Madrid eased past Liverpool to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Europa League draw
Following the Champions League draw, the draw for the Europa League’s final rounds will take place too.
Manchester United are the only English team left in the competition after sweeping Real Betis aside 5-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal suffered a heartbreaking exit last night. They drew 3-3 on aggregate with Sporting CP but lost 5-3 in a penalty shootout at the Emirates Stadium.
Sporting went through and joined heavy hitters Juventus, Roma and Sevilla in the quarter-finals. Bayer Leverkusen, Union Saint-Gilloise and Feyenoord complete the line-up.
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