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Europa League

Europa League round of 16 draw: Man Utd to face Real Betis

Manchester United have been drawn with Real Betis for the round of 16 stage of the Europa League.

The Red Devils progressed to the last 16 of the competition last night following an impressive 2-1 comeback win over Barcelona at Old Trafford.

They will now face another Spanish opposition in the form of Betis, who are currently fifth in La Liga, four points adrift of the Champions League places.

Hence, United don’t have a straightforward tie on their hands, but they should go into the first leg with confidence after beating the La Liga leaders.

The Red Devils host the Andalusian outfit at Old Trafford on March 9 before travelling to the Estadio Benito Villamarín for the second leg in seven days’ time.

It will be the first competitive meetings between the clubs. United’s only previous clash with Betis was a winter friendly following the recent World Cup.

They lost 1-0 with Nabil Fekir scoring the winner. However, it was a vastly different United side with several key players missing and they should be favourites next month.

United have had a tremendous transitional season under manager Erik ten Hag and they are currently the only English club alive in all four competitions.

They have the chance to end a six-year trophy drought against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final which will be played at Wembley on Sunday.

With the Magpies set to play their third-choice goalkeeper, the Red Devils have already been handed a huge boost to pick up their first silverware under Ten Hag.

If they end up victorious this weekend, it should give them the added motivation to push for more trophies during the remainder of the ongoing season.

Stats from Sofascore.com