Five British clubs will be hoping to make the pot for the Europa League last-16 draw on Friday.
Premier League quartet Arsenal, Leicester, Manchester United and Tottenham must navigate their way through the last-32 return legs this week, likewise Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers.
United, Spurs and Arsenal are the top three favourites with the bookies to win the Europa League outright this season, while Ajax, AC Milan, Roma, Villarreal and Leicester are also viewed as potential challengers.
Teams were seeded for the round of 32, while they could not face a club from their own domestic league, but this time around there are no restrictions, which means an all-Premier League tie could be possible.
Spurs have one foot in the last 16 given they lead Wolfsberger 4-1, and ahead of their return leg head coach Jose Mourinho admits winning the tournament is their best route to the Champions League next season.
“It is very difficult to think about top four. The top four, five, six teams, they are getting points. It is going to be very, very hard,” said Mourinho, whose Spurs are ninth in the Premier League.
“The Europa League is a great motivation. It’s not easy, but a great motivation because it can be a way to get a Champions League spot and at the same time a trophy.
“It is mathematically possible. When it is mathematically possible, it is realistic. Very hard, yes, very hard, but mathematically possible. You sometimes need also a little bit of luck to go in your favour. I believe that if this team wins a couple of matches in a row, that the situation can change, and that we can still fight for top four.
“Of course if you say nine points now, it is difficult, but is very possible. And the Europa League. We are alive, and when we are alive, knowing that [there are] many difficult opponents, and everybody has the same ambition that we have.
“But Europa League is a window of opportunity that is open for us, and maybe we can also get to Champions League through the Europa League.”
When is the Europa League draw?
The draw will take place at midday GMT on Friday 26 February at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
Where to watch the draw
A live stream of the draw will take place on Uefa’s website here, while UK rights holders for the tournament, BT Sport, will broadcast the draw live on BT Sport 2.
Teams in last-16 draw
To be finalised on 25 February
- Wolfsberger (AUT) / Tottenham (ENG)
- Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) / Club Brugge (BEL)
- Real Sociedad (ESP) / Manchester United (ENG)
- Benfica (POR) / Arsenal (ENG)
- Red Star Belgrade (SRB) / AC Milan (ITA)
- Antwerp (BEL) / Rangers (SCO)
- Slavia Prague (CZE) / Leicester (ENG)
- Salzburg (AUT) / Villarreal (ESP)
- Braga (POR) / Roma (ITA)
- Krasnodar (RUS) / Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
- Young Boys (SUI) / Leverkusen (GER)
- Molde (NOR) / Hoffenheim (GER)
- Granada (ESP) / Napoli (ITA)
- Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR) / Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
- LOSC Lille (FRA) / Ajax (NED)
- Olympiacos (GRE) / PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Are there any draw restrictions?
There will be no seedings for the draw, while any potential restrictions will be announced ahead of time.
When will the matches take place?
The first leg of the round of 16 matches will be played on 11 March, with the return leg on 18 March. Kick-off times will be split between 5.55pm and 8pm GMT.
Key Europa League dates after last 16
- 19 March: Quarter-final and semi-final draw
- 8 & 15 April: Quarter-finals
- 29 April & 6 May: Semi-finals
- 26 May: Final (Gdansk, Poland)
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/37HfwdJ
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