The UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League round of 16 draws took place on Friday with some giants names involved in the UEL as Juventus landed on Freiburg, Arsenal were paired with Sporting CP, and Manchester United got Real Betis.
Elsewhere, AS Roma got Real Sociedad, and Shakhtar Donetsk were drawn against Feyenoord while German surprise package Union Berlin come up against their Belgian namesakes Union SG.
Meanwhile, serial UEL winners Sevilla got Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Bayer Leverkusen landed Ferencvaros as part of a draw which threw up some intriguing matchups with an obvious standout.
We were always going to be hard pressed to beat the titanic pairing of United and Barcelona in the knockout round playoff, but this draw does tee up the possibility of some epic clashes from the quarterfinals onwards.
Our picks from the bunch.
Sporting vs. Arsenal
This one feels like a UEFA Champions League clash taking place in the Europa League much like United vs. Barca was in the previous round. Domestic considerations could lead the Gunners to prioritise the Premier League which could open them up to a potential shock against the Portuguese giants. Equally, Tottenham Hotspur already faced Sporting earlier this season which should give Mikel Arteta and his side a clear idea of how to combat them.
Roma vs. Real Sociedad
This one is perhaps the biggest potential shock exit given that both teams are fairly high profile. Jose Mourinho’s men dumped out a very good Red Bull Salzburg side while Sociedad finished ahead of United in Group E on goal difference after Ten Hag suffered a few early teething problems. This is continental soccer at its eclectic best and a contender for arguably the most fascinating matchup of the lot here.
Manchester United vs. Betis
Erik ten Hag has stunned many with how swiftly he is turning things around at Old Trafford and Red Devils fans will be in dreamland…
