Man Utd Face Real Sociedad In Europa League Last 16, Rangers Play Fenerbahce

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Manchester United were drawn Friday to play Real Sociedad of Spain in the last 16 of this season’s Europa League, while Rangers will take on Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, and Tottenham Hotspur face AZ Alkmaar.

Ruben Amorim’s United struggled this season in the Premier League, but they finished third in the Europa League’s league phase.

The first leg of their tour will take place in San Sebastian on March 6, before returning to the same venue a week later when they play a Real Sociedad side that won the play-off round against Midtjylland of Denmark.

In recent years, the two organizations have met several times in European competition, with United winning a play-off tie in 2021 before both teams each won away from home in the group stages of 2022/23. In 2013, they also faced off in the Champions League group stage.

Manchester United’s draw for the round 16 of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League football tournament, held on February 21, 2025 at the House of European Football in Nyon, results in a slip-up for former Spanish international Aritz Aduriz. (Photo by Valentin Flauraud / AFP)

Whoever prevails will face FCSB or Lyon in a last-eight tie. In their final game of the group, United defeated the Romanians 2-0 at home last month.

In a match that Mourinho and Manchester United won in 2017, Fenerbahce will welcome Rangers, who have already lost to 2022, to Istanbul for the first leg of their tie. He also won its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, as Porto boss in 2003.

Mourinho could face one of his former clubs in Roma, where he won the Europa Conference League in 2022, in the quarter-finals.

However, Claudio Ranieri’s Roma face a tough task in the last 16 against Athletic Bilbao, who are determined to go all the way to this season’s final, which will be played at their San Mames home on May 21.

Spurs will travel to the Netherlands to face AZ, who they defeated 1-0 in the league match in October, in the first leg of their last-16 game.

If they win, Ange Postecoglou’s team could be back in the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, with the victors in that tie playing either Ajax or 2022 tournament winners Eintracht Frankfurt.

Spurs and Manchester United will not play in the final four, but the Old Trafford outfit could face Rangers or Fenerbahce under Mourinho’s control in the final.