Man United Meet Barcelona In Europa League Playoff Round

by David on January 13, 2023

Manchester United will face Barcelona in the first knockout round of the Europa League in a tie featuring eight Champions League titles between the two teams.

The draw for the next stage of the competition took place in Switzerland on Monday lunchtime, with several big hitters in the draw either via qualification in second place in their group or through dropping out of the Champions League.

United against Barcelona is the headline tie of the draw. Barcelona were the first team out the hat and gasps could almost be heard around the footballing world as Manchester United’s name followed in the next ball.

In 2008-09 and 2010-11 the two sides met in the Champions League final. Since then both clubs have struggled to remain at the top of Europe’s pedestal and as a result meet in the Europa League and not the Champions League.

But the pedigree of two of the biggest clubs in the world means that for two nights in February, the eyes of the footballing world will once again be on the Camp Nou and Old Trafford.

In other matches, Juventus will play French side Nantes, with Ajax, who dropped into the competition after failing to qualify from Liverpool’s Champions League group, are set to take on Union Berlin of Germany.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma, who won the Europa Conference League last season, will take on Salzburg, with six-time champions Sevilla set to face PSV.

Philippe Clement’s Monaco side were drawn against Bayern Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon will face FC Midtjylland, and Shakhtar Donetsk will play Stade Rennais.

The play-off round features 16 teams that either came second in their Europa League group or third in their Champions League group, with teams all playing a side originally from the other competition.

It was also impossible for anyone to face a team from their country at this stage.

The winners of the ties will progress to the last 16 of the competition where the winners of the Europa League groups, including Arsenal, will be waiting.

The ties will take place over a two-week period, with the first legs on February 16 and the second on February 23.