MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 14:23:05| >> :120:5360:5360:

Manchester United, Barcelona to lock horns in Europa League knockout round playoffs

Manchester United, Barcelona to lock horns in Europa League
© Reuters
Manchester United and Barcelona will face off in the Europa League knockout round playoffs in February.

Manchester United and Barcelona will face off in the Europa League knockout round playoffs, with the winner of the two-legged affair advancing to the last-16 stage of the competition.

Barcelona dropped into the Europa League courtesy of their third-placed finish in their Champions League section behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

The Catalan outfit only won twice in Group C, which left them on seven points, three points behind Inter Milan, who were eight from runaway section winners Bayern.

Man United, meanwhile, won five of their Group E fixtures in the Europa League, but it was not enough to claim first spot in the section behind Real Sociedad.

The 20-time English champions beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in their final game in the group, but they did not advance to the knockout round automatically, with the La Liga outfit shading it on goal difference.

Barcelona players, including Gerard Pique, celebrate Frenkie de Jong's goal against Almeria on November 5, 2022© Reuters

Man United will therefore have to navigate a two-legged affair against Barcelona, with the first leg set for February 16 at Camp Nou, while the second leg will take place one week later at Old Trafford on February 23.

The draw for the last-16 stage of the competition will then take place on February 24, with Arsenal, Fenerbahce, Real Betis, Union St.Gilloise, Real Sociedad, Feyenoord, Freiburg and Ferencvaros already booking their spot in the knockout round of the competition.

Man United and Barcelona last met in the quarter-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League, with the La Liga outfit triumphing 4-0 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, they also locked horns in the final of the Champions League in 2008-09 and 2010-11, with Barcelona running out 2-0 and 3-1 winners respectively.

Manchester United players celebrate Marcus Rashford's goal against West Ham United on October 30, 2022© Reuters

Elsewhere, Italian giants Juventus have been drawn against Nantes in the Europa League knockout playoffs, while Sporting Lisbon will take on FC Midtjylland.

Shakhtar Donetsk will face Rennes, Ajax will tackle Union Berlin, while Bayer Leverkusen will take on Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.

The final two fixtures drawn were Sevilla against PSV Eindhoven, and Red Bull Salzburg versus Roma, with the eight winners advancing to the last-16 stage of the competition alongside the teams that won their sections.

Europa League knockout round playoff draw:

Barcelona vs. Manchester United
Juventus vs. Nantes
Sporting Lisbon vs. FC Midtjylland
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Rennes
Ajax vs. Union Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Monaco
Sevilla vs. PSV Eindhoven
Red Bull Salzburg vs. Roma

ID:499122:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5178:

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United players celebrate Alejandro Garnacho's goal against Real Sociedad on November 3, 2022
Read Next:
Barcelona, Juventus among possible opponents for Man United in Europa League playoff
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!