The draw for the Europa League round of 16 took place this Monday and it has been confirmed who will face whom for a place in the round of 16.
The main takeaway from the Europa League round of 16 draw is that two of Europe’s biggest clubs will meet for a place in the next stage of the competition.
In a highly successful clash, Manchester United will take on FC Barcelona, ​​who dropped out of the Champions League, in the Europa League round of 16.
The two teams have possibly the toughest opponent they could have hoped for in the play-off draw.
How Man Utd reached the Europa League round of 16
The Red Devils could have qualified directly for the round of 16 had they finished their group campaign as winners of Group E. But they could only manage a second-place finish in Group E, behind Real Sociedad.
Manchester United began their 22/23 Europa League campaign with a shock 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford. The Premier League side then faced Omonoia and FC Sheriff twice each in their next four matches in the Europa League.
Man Utd secured wins in all four matches, taking their Group E points tally to 12 from four games. After finishing matchday 5 of 6, Man Utd was second in Group E, behind Real Sociedad, who had 15 points.
Man Utd then faced Real Sociedad in their final game of the 22/23 Europa League group stage. The Old Trafford team needed to beat the Spanish team by at least two goals to top Group E. But the English team could only secure a 1-0 win over Sociedad.
How Barcelona reached the round of 16 of the Europa League
The Catalan team 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 22/23 Champions League campaign with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen. But things then went south to the Spanish side.
Barça faced Bayern Munich in their second game of the group stage and succumbed with a 2-0 loss to the German side. They faced Inter Milan in their next two matches in the competition, but could only pick up one point, with a draw and a loss each.
That left Barcelona on the verge of elimination from the Champions League. Inter Milan then secured a 4-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen in their next match and that confirmed Barcelona’s elimination from the Champions League.
Barcelona secured a win and a loss each in their two remaining Champions League games: a 3-0 loss to Bayern and a 4-2 victory over Viktoria Plzen.
