Europa League draw produces some don’t-miss fixtures
Barcelona probably never wanted to be in the Europa League. But now the Catalan giants – once one of the biggest and most successful teams on the planet – face Manchester United, another formerly unbeatable global brand, just to stay in Europe’s second-tier club competition.
Relegated from the Champions League after finishing third in their group, Barca will take on United, whose failure last year to finish in the highest echelons of the English Premier League meant qualification for the Europa League instead of its more glamorous big brother.
The winner of the playoff will go through to the tournament’s last 16.
“The draw has given us the most difficult rival again, like in the Champions League group stage,” Barca manager Xavi Hernandez said after the draw on Monday. “Luck was not on our side. Manchester United are a great rival, a historic club – the worst that we could wish for.”
See the Europa League playoff draw in brief:
- Barcelona v Manchester United
- Juventus v Nantes
- Sporting v Midtjylland
- Shakhtar Donetsk v Rennes
- Ajax v Union Berlin
- Bayer Leverkusen v Monaco
- Sevilla v PSV Eindhoven
- Salzburg v Roma