Barca, Man Utd Drawn In Europa League R16 As Juve Tie Nantes

November 07, (THEWILL) – Barcelona will meet Manchester United in their first match back in the UEFA Europa League, after being paired with the English Premier League team in the playoffs for the knockout stage.

After failing to advance from the UEFA Champions League group stages and finishing behind Bayern Munich and Inter, Xavi’s team was relegated to Europe’s second-tier league for the second consecutive season.

It sets up the upcoming match with Erik ten Hag’s United, who are trying to break their trophy drought that dates back to their previous Europa League victory under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

In the Europa League group stage, United finished behind Real Sociedad and ultimately lost to La Real by one goal. They have paid a price for their shortcomings in that regard because La Real has already advanced to the round of 16, and Barca is undoubtedly the worst draw they could have received.

Juventus will probably be happier with their draw after being matched with Ligue 1 team, Nantes, but they will join Barca in exiting the Champions League.

The rest of the draw includes:

Barcelona versus Manchester United

Juventus versus Nantes

Sporting CP versus Midtjylland

Shakhtar Donetsk versus Rennes

Ajax versus Union Berlin

Bayer Leverkusen versus Monaco

Sevilla versus PSV

Salzburg versus Roma

About the Author

Jude Obafemi, THEWILL

Homepage | Recent Posts

Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

• Jude Obafemi, THEWILL

  https://thewillnews.com/author/jude-obafemi/

  Alonso's Leverkusen Rewrite History With 50-Game Unbeaten Streak
• Jude Obafemi, THEWILL

  https://thewillnews.com/author/jude-obafemi/

  Juventus Salvage Late Draw Against Rock-Bottom Salernitana
• Jude Obafemi, THEWILL

  https://thewillnews.com/author/jude-obafemi/

  Bayern Munich returned to winning ways as they comfortably dispatched Wolfsburg 2-0 at the Allianz Arena on Sunday afternoon. The victory moved the Bavarian giants back into second place in the Bundesliga standings. Teenager Lovro Zvonarek opened the scoring after just four minutes, lashing home from Alphonso Davies' cutback. Bayern doubled their lead soon after through Leon Goretzka's cool finish following good work from the impressive Bryan Zaragoza and Zvonarek. Despite Wolfsburg's recent uplift in form, the visitors offered little resistance as Bayern's fringe players dominated proceedings. Zaragoza and Zvonarek were particular standouts, with the latter unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet again. After the interval, the one-way traffic continued as Bayern pushed for a third goal that ultimately eluded them. Zaragoza went close on two occasions while Mathys Tel also spurned a decent chance. As the game petered out, both sides seemed content to play out the closing stages at a pedestrian pace. However, the performances of Bayern's young stars will encourage the Bundesliga juggernauts ahead of the final game of the season. For Wolfsburg, the defeat ends a three-match winning run but their Bundesliga status for next season had already been secured prior to kick-off. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl may yet rue his side's toothless display against Bayern's second-string line-up.
• Jude Obafemi, THEWILL

  https://thewillnews.com/author/jude-obafemi/

  Bayern Munich Seal Routine Win Over Wolfsburg