The Europa League round-of-16 play-off draw took place on Monday, and who will face who for a place in the round-of-16 has been confirmed
The main takeaway from the Europa League round-of-16 play-off draw is that two of the biggest European clubs will square off for a place in the next stage of the competition.
In a blockbuster clash, Manchester United will face Champions League drop-out FC Barcelona in the Europa League round-of-16 play-off.
The two sides have got arguably the toughest opponent they could have hoped for in the play-off draw.
How Man Utd reached Europa League round-of-16 play-off
The Red Devils could have directly qualified for the round of 16 had they finished their group campaign as Group E winners. But they could only manage a second-place finish in Group E, behind Real Sociedad.
Manchester United began their Europa League 22/23 campaign with a shock 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford. The Premier League outfit then faced Omonoia and FC Sheriff twice each in their next four matches in the Europa League,
Man Utd secured wins in all four of those fixtures, taking their point tally in Group E to 12 from four matches. After matchday 5 of 6 concluded, Man Utd sat second in Group E, behind Real Sociedad, who had 15 points.
Man Utd then took on Real Sociedad in their final Europa League 22/23 group stage match. The Old Trafford outfit needed to beat the Spanish outfit by at least two goals to top Group E. But the English outfit could only secure a 1-0 win over Sociedad.
How Barcelona reached Europa League round-of-16 play-off
The Catalan outfit was drawn into a relatively easy Group C in the Champions League. That group also had Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Viktoria Plzen.
Barcelona kicked off their Champions League 22/23 campaign with an emphatic 5-1 win over Viktoria Plzen. But things then went south for the Spanish side.
Barca faced Bayern Munich in their second match of the group stage and succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to the German outfit. They took on Inter Milan in their next two games in the competition, but could only earn a point from it, with a draw and a defeat each.
That left Barcelona on the brink of Champions League elimination. Inter Milan then secured a 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in their next game and that confirmed Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League.
Barcelona secured a win and a defeat each in their remaining two fixtures in the Champions League – a 3-0 defeat to Bayern and a 4-2 victory over Viktoria Plzen.
