Europa League draw LIVE: Man Utd draw Barcelona in knockout round play-off
Juventus will take on Nantes, having failed to make it out of the Champions League groups
Manchester United will face Barcelona in a blockbuster Europa League knockout round play-off tie.
Erik ten Hag’s side finished second in their group, narrowly missing out on top spot to Real Sociedad despite a 1-0 win in Spain on the final matchday, and promptly drew the Catalan giants in what promises to be a mouth-watering tie for a place in the last 16.
Another big-name side to drop down from the Champions League, Juventus, drew French side Nantes, while Bayer Leverkusen take on Monaco in another intriguing tie and Jose Mourinho’s Roma face FC Salzburg.
The Europa League play-offs will be held over two legs, with matches played on 16 and 23 February. United will play the second leg against Barca at home at Old Trafford.
Follow all the updates from the Europa League play-off draw:
Europa Conference League play-off draw
Here’s a reminder of the teams who are in the draw:
Seeded - Anderlecht, Basel, CFR Cluj, Dnipro-1, Fiorentina, Gent, Lech, Partizan
Unseeded - AEK Larnaca, Bodo/Glimt, Braga, Lazio, Ludogorets, Qarabag, Sheriff, Trabzonspor
No team can face another from the same country and the seeded teams will play the second legs at home.
Europa Conference League play-off draw
Get ready for one last outing from Giorgio Marchetti today. Surely the man you want in your corner when balls need to be picked out of glass bowls.
Europa Conference League play-off draw
One more trip to Switzerland then as the Europa Conference League play-off draw gets underway.
Mikel Arteta has given Arsenal the foundations of a title challenge before World Cup break
Given that Mikel Arteta used to work for Manchester City, he probably isn’t going to get into the advantages that a state-owned club have, but he is all too aware of their power. He has already mentioned how Pep Guardiola has created teams capable of getting 100 points, in a way never seen before. He has also been imploring his Arsenal players of the standard to reach.
This intensity was something that stood out in a commanding victory at Chelsea. It was a classic 1-0 that could have been a 4-0, as Arsenal performed with an intensity that Graham Potter’s couldn’t reach.
This, rather pointedly given the day, was why Arteta got rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. This is why he tries so many of those motivational tricks seen in their documentary. This is the benefit of fully backing a manager who has an idea.
Arteta and Arsenal have conditioned and honed a focus that can only come from full commitment to a proper plan. Almost anything that might hold them back has now been stripped away. It is now only about improvement, but the base is there.
Mikel Arteta has given Arsenal the foundations of a title challenge before World Cup
Arsenal’s dominant win over Chelsea was another test passed and the World Cup break could given Mikel Arteta’s players the rare chance to recharge during a season
Europa Conference League draw
Just one more draw to come today before the fixtures for the Uefa’s European competitions are all known. The next one up is the play-off round for the Europa Conference League.
The deal is exactly the same as the Europa League draw with the runners-up in the Conference groups drawn against the third-placed sides from the Europa League.
West Ham are already through to the last-16 so they won’t be involved. Here’s all the teams included in the draw:
Seeded
Anderlecht, Basel, CFR Cluj, Dnipro-1, Fiorentina, Gent, Lech, Partizan
Unseeded
AEK Larnaca, Bodo/Glimt, Braga, Lazio, Ludogorets, Qarabag, Sheriff, Trabzonspor
Manchester United draw Barcelona in blockbuster Europa League play-off
Manchester United will face Barcelona in a blockbuster Europa League play-off tie that will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to the Nou Camp to face his old rivals.
Erik ten Hag’s side finished second in their Europa League group, narrowly missing out on top spot to Real Sociedad despite a 1-0 win in Spain on the final matchday - meaning United would have to face one of the teams who dropped out from the Champions League group stages.
Barcelona finished third behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League’s group of death and, after dropping down to the Europa League for the second season in a row, the play-off draw sets up a huge clash between former European Cup final opponents.
Manchester United draw Barcelona in blockbuster Europa League play-off
Cristiano Ronaldo will return to the Nou Camp to face his old rivals
Europa League play-off draw
Real Madrid take on Liverpool in the Champions League before Barcelona go up against Manchester United in the Europa League.
Manchester United draw Barcelona in Europa League play-offs
Manchester United will face Barcelona in a blockbuster Europa League play-off tie that will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to the Nou Camp to face his old rivals.
Erik ten Hag’s side finished second in their group, narrowly missing out on top spot to Real Sociedad despite a 1-0 win in Spain on the final matchday - meaning United would have to face one of the teams who dropped out from the Champions League group stages.
Barcelona finished third behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League’s group of death, setting up a huge clash between former European Cup final opponents in the Europa League.
United’s last meeting with Barcelona was in the 2018/19 Champions League quarter-finals, with the Catalan side winning 4-0 on aggregate, but their two previous matches were in the 2011 and 2009 Champions League finals.
The Europa League play-offs will be held over two legs, with matches played on 16 and 23 February. United will play the second leg at home at Old Trafford.
Manchester United draw Barcelona in Europa League play-offs
Cristiano Ronaldo will return to the Nou Camp to face his old rivals
Europa League play-off draw
There’s only one true standout fixture right here and it’s the game between Barcelona and Manchester United.
One of this summer’s transfer sagas involved Manchester United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong and, amongst other reasons, he decided to remain at Barcelona in order to play Champions League football.
That didn’t turn out so well for the Dutchman. Will United now deny him the chance to win the Europa League when they take on the Spanish giants?
Europa League play-off draw in full
Here is the full draw for the Europa League play-off round:
Barcelona vs Manchester United
Juventus vs Nantes
Sporting CP vs FC Midtjylland
Shakhtar Donestsk vs Rennes
Ajax vs Union Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco
Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven
RB Salzburg vs Roma
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