Roma face Porto in Europa League play-offs, Man Utd learn possible opponents

PARIS: Former winners Porto were drawn Friday to face Claudio Ranieri´s Roma in the standout tie of the Europa League knockout phase play-offs, while Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were among the clubs to discover their potential opponents in the last 16.

Porto, who won the Europa League in 2011 as well as its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, in 2003, will be at home in the first leg on February 13 with the return in Italy a week later. Other notable play-off round ties will see Jose Mourinho´s Fenerbahce come up against Anderlecht and Ajax play close neighbours Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium.

The eight winners from the play-off round will go through to the last 16, where they will join the top eight teams from the league phase. Lazio finished on top of the standings, just ahead of Athletic Bilbao, with United and Spurs coming third and fourth respectively.

With the draw for the last 16 based on a pre-determined bracket, the two Premier League sides know they will face either the winners of the play-off tie between AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray, or that between Midtjylland of Denmark and Real Sociedad. Spurs have already played AZ and Galatasaray in the league phase, beating the Dutch club 1-0 at home and losing 3-2 to the Turkish giants in Istanbul.

United played Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage last season, taking just one point from a possible six. Real Sociedad are familiar opponents for the Old Trafford club: they met in the Champions League group stage in 2013/14, in the Europa League last 32 in 2021, and in the Europa League group stage in 2022.

Rangers, the 2022 Europa League runners-up, scraped into eighth place in the league phase and can face FC Twente of the Netherlands, Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, Fenerbahce or Anderlecht in the last 16.

The draw for the last 16 will take place on February 21, with the ties being played in the first half of March. This season´s Europa League final will be played in Bilbao on Wednesday, May 2.

On Thursday night, Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-0 win at Romanian side FCSB, while troubled Tottenham turned to their young guns to advance via a top-eight finish.