Man Utd potential opponents in Europa League quarter-finals

Erik ten Hag’s pursuit of trophies at Manchester United remains strong, as his team advances to the final eight of the Europa League after a dominant performance against Real Betis.

Despite already securing the Carabao Cup and still being in the FA Cup with a quarter-final match against Fulham coming up, the team is now focusing on their potential opponents in the Europa League quarter-finals. Given their upcoming challenging domestic schedule, United would benefit from a favorable draw to prevent overburdening a squad that still lacks depth in certain areas. 

Nevertheless, United is confident in their ability to defeat any remaining team in the tournament. Here is a breakdown of who they may face and how the tournament has progressed thus far.

Man Utd 2022/23 Europa League so far

Manchester United’s Europa League campaign began with a loss at home to Real Sociedad, which proved to be a setback for their hopes of topping the group. The group also included FC Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonoia Nicosia. However, the team managed to win all of their remaining five games, with their only other test being a victory against Real Sociedad in Spain. Unfortunately, due to goal difference, Real Sociedad finished top of the group, forcing United to enter the knockout round play-off and adding two extra matches that Erik ten Hag would have preferred to avoid.

Manchester United’s Europa League campaign began with an unexpected loss at home to Real Sociedad, which dented their chances of securing top spot in the group. The group also featured FC Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonoia Nicosia. Nonetheless, the team bounced back to win all of their remaining five matches, with their only other major challenge being a victory against Real Sociedad in Spain. Unfortunately, due to goal difference, Real Sociedad finished as group winners, leaving Manchester United to compete in the knockout round play-off and adding two more matches that Erik ten Hag would have preferred to avoid.

The situation worsened for Manchester United when they were paired with the La Liga leaders, Barcelona, in the Europa League knockout round. The two teams engaged in two enthralling encounters, with the first leg ending in a 2-2 draw in Barcelona and the second leg at Old Trafford resulting in a 2-1 victory for United, securing a 4-3 aggregate win and a spot in the round of 16.

In the next round, they faced another Spanish team, Real Betis, but United dominated in the first leg with a convincing 4-1 win, making the return leg in Seville a mere formality, which they won 1-0.

The next round of the Europa League is scheduled for April 13 and 20, leaving a short break before the resumption of European football.

Manchester United is now confident in their ability to defeat any team in the tournament. However, there are still several strong teams remaining who share the same sentiment. There is no rule prohibiting teams from the same country from being paired in this stage, and United could face Sporting CP, Roma, Juventus, Sevilla, or Bayer Leverkusen, all of which pose significant challenges.

At this stage of the tournament, there are no easy draws, as every team has earned its place. Nonetheless, Erik ten Hag would prefer to avoid facing Sevilla, Sporting, or Juventus if possible.

Here are the teams that United could face in the Europa League quarter-finals:

• Juventus
• Feyenoord
• Sevilla
• Bayer Leverkusen
• AS Roma
• Union Saint-Gilloise
• Sporting CP

Man Utd potential opponents in Europa League quarter-finals