Man United’s road to Europa League final – Can the Reds salvage their campaign? | OneFootball

Manchester United have now learned the identity of their next Europa League opponent following the Round of 16 draw on Friday.

Despite their miserable Premier League campaign, the Red Devils have been finding more joy in cup competitions this season, including Europe’s second-tier competition.

So between their status as European giants and their impressive group-stage results, United are still considered among the main favourites to claim the Europa League trophy at the end of the season. So make sure to discover the best casino UK options where you can find out the latest odds on all major sporting events, or even play fun online casino games.

Since his arrival in November, Ruben Amorim hasn’t been able to steer the club back in the right direction in the Premier League. In fact, the Reds are enduring a terrifying free fall that left them 15th in the table, thus not that far from the relegation zone, as Rio Ferdinand duly noted.

Nevertheless, the Portuguese manager has at least managed to improve United’s position in the Europa League table. The English club finished the group stage on the podium, right behind leaders Lazio and runners-up Athletic Bilbao.

Finishing in the Top 8 spared United from taking part in the play-off stage, so they sat out that particular round while waiting to find out their next opponent.

On Friday, UEFA held the Europa League Round of 16 draw in Nyon, and the Red Devils were pitted against Real Sociedad, a considerably tough opponent. The Spaniards earned their spot after beating Midtjylland 7-3 on aggregate.

Man United will play Real Sociedad in the Europa League Round of 16

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The first leg will take place at San Sebastian on March 6th, while the Reds will host the decisive second leg at Old Trafford on March 13th thanks to their status as a seeded club.

But aside from the Round of 16, Friday’s draw also revealed the path towards the final. So if Man Utd manage to overcome Sociedad in the next stage, they’ll clash heads with the winner between Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais and FCSB, the Romanian club they already faced on the final matchday of the group stage. The EPL giants won the contest 2-0 thanks to goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo.

And if they manage to make it to the semi-final, their possible opponent would be one between Fenerbahce, Rangers, Roma and Athletic Bilbao.

Hence, it remains to be seen if United can go all the way to clinch the title, as it’s now their only viable track towards Champions League qualification and saving what has been an absolutely dolorous campaign.