Manchester United draw Real Betis Arsenal meet Sporting Lisbon

Manchester United draw Real Betis, Arsenal meet Sporting Lisbon

Manchester United meets Real Betis in the Europa League round of 16 and Arsenal meets Sporting Lisbon.

Elsewhere, Juventus play Freiburg and Sevilla meet Fenerbahce.

United qualified for the last 16 after a vibrant draw against Barcelona in the play-off round. They drew the first leg 2-2 at Barcelona and came from behind at Old Trafford on Thursday, winning 2-1 and securing their place in the next round.

Arsenal didn’t have to play in the Europa League play-off round after winning their group. Mikel Arteta’s side finished top of the table after winning five of their six group games.

Meanwhile, Shakhtar continued their remarkable European run this season with a penalty shootout victory in France on Thursday. Shakhtar and Rennes won their respective home games 2-1, with the Ukrainian champions winning 5-4 on penalties. They were rewarded with a draw against Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord.

The full Europa League round of 16 draw

  • Union Berlin versus Union Saint-Gilloise
  • Seville vs Fenerbahce
  • Juventus vs Fribourg
  • Bayer Leverkusen versus Ferencvaros
  • Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal
  • Manchester United vs Real Betis
  • Roma vs Real Sociedad
  • Shakhtar Donetsk vs Feyenoord

When is the round of 16 of the Europa League?

Unlike the Champions League, all round of 16 matches in the Europa League are played on the same evening. The first leg is scheduled for Thursday 9 March, with the second leg set to take place a week later on Thursday 16 March.

Arsenal have a relatively friendly schedule around these dates. They host Bournemouth on Saturday 4 March and then travel to Fulham – another London side – between the two legs of their European Cup clash against Sporting.

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After the second leg in North London, they host Crystal Palace on Sunday 19 March. So Mikel Arteta’s men won’t be traveling too much to fulfill their European commitments.

United, on the other hand, don’t have it that easy. They travel to Liverpool on Sunday March 5 – just four days before their first leg at Old Trafford – and host Southampton on Saturday March 11. After their European away day on March 16, they travel to the high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday 03/19.

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