Manchester United to play Real Sociedad in Europa League round of 16, Tottenham faces Alkmaar
Manchester United to play Real Sociedad in Europa League round of 16, Tottenham faces Alkmaar
Manchester United was drawn Friday to play Real Sociedad of Spain in the last 16 of this season’s Europa League, while Rangers will take on Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, and Tottenham Hotspur faces AZ Alkmaar.
Ruben Amorim’s United is struggling in the Premier League this season but finished third in the league phase of the Europa League.
It will travel to San Sebastian for the first leg on March 6 before the return a week later against a Real Sociedad side which reached this stage after beating Midtjylland of Denmark in the play-off round.
The clubs have met several times in European competition in recent years, with United winning a Europa League knockout phase play-off tie in 2021 before both sides each won away from home in the group stage in 2022/23. They also faced off in the Champions League group stage in 2013.
Whoever wins will advance to a last-eight tie against either Lyon or FCSB. The Romanians lost 2-0 at home to United in their last game in the group phase last month.
Fenerbahce will welcome beaten 2022 finalist Rangers to Istanbul for the first leg of its tie in a competition coach Mourinho won with United in 2017. He also won its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, as Porto boss in 2003.
If Fenerbahce wins, Mourinho could come up in the quarterfinals against one of his old clubs in Roma, with which he won the Europa Conference League in 2022.
However, Claudio Ranieri’s Roma faces a tough task in the last 16 against Athletic Bilbao, which is determined to go all the way to this season’s final that will be played at its San Mames home on May 21.
Spurs will go to the Netherlands for the first leg of their last-16 tie against AZ, whom they defeated 1-0 in the league phase in October.
If they win, Ange Postecoglou’s men could be back in the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, with the victor in that tie playing either Ajax or 2022 tournament winner Eintracht Frankfurt.
Spurs and Manchester United cannot meet until the final, but the Old Trafford club could face either Mourinho’s Fenerbahce or Rangers in the last four.
Last season’s Conference League winner Olympiakos of Greece will play Norwegian champion Bodo/Glimt in the last 16, for the right to take on either Lazio — which finished first in the league phase — or Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic in the quarters.
Published on Feb 21, 2025
