Europa League draw revealed for Round of 16
Friday’s Europa League draw has revealed some interesting matchups in this year’s competition. Despite being the second-tiered European tournament, there are massive teams set to play in the round of 16. Arsenal, Juventus, and Manchester United have all qualified for the upcoming phase of the competition and now know their opponents.
Trio all have tricky matches in the round of 16
Premier League leaders Arsenal were drawn against Portuguese giants Sporting CP. The Lions previously finished third in their Champions League group alongside Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt. However, they qualified for the Europa League round of 16 by demolishing Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate. The two clubs last met in 2018, with the Gunners securing a win and a draw against Sporting in the group stage.
Much like Sporting, Juventus also finished third in their Champions League group as well. The Old Lady will now face Freiburg in the Europa League round of 16. Freiburg topped their group earlier in a the season and currently sit fourth in the Bundesliga table. Juventus are seventh in the Serie A standings, but were given a 15-point penalty earlier in the season.
Manchester United also face fairly difficult opposition as well. The Red Devils will play Real Betis in the round of 16. Betis may not be considered a traditional powerhouse, but the Spanish side have been playing well under head coach Manuel Pellegrini. They went undefeated in their Europa League group, which included Roma, earlier in the campaign. United qualified to the phase by impressively beating Barcelona in the knockout round.
Schedule set for the two-legged fixture list
All first leg matches of the round of 16 will be played on Thursday, March 9th. The return games are set for one week later.
Europa League Round of 16 Draw:
Union Berlin vs Union Saint-Gilloise
Sevilla vs Fenerbahce
Juventus vs Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen vs Ferencvaros
Sporting CP vs Arsenal
Manchester United vs Real Betis
Roma vs Real Sociedad
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Feyenoord
For readers in the United States, all matches are live on Paramount+. The streaming service from CBS Sports currently offers a free trial.
Photo: IMAGO / Nicolo Campo