Man Utd’s potential opponents in the 2024/25 Europa League
An awfully underwhelming 2023/24 campaign for Manchester United was salvaged somewhat by an FA Cup triumph to conclude the season.
It was a victory that may well have saved Erik ten Hag’s job and the shock win over their vastly superior Manchester neighbours at Wembley means United will be competing in this season’s Europa League.
While Ten Hag boasts a stellar domestic cup record with the Red Devils, the Dutchman’s record in Europe is far less inspiring. After crashing out of this competition two seasons ago with a 3-0 defeat to Sevilla in the quarter-finals, United finished below FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray in their Champions League group last time out – exiting Europe entirely before the new year.
However, optimism is beginning to manifest at the Theatre of Dreams once more following a busy summer and the Europa League represents an excellent opportunity for Ten Hag’s United to shine. The all-new league phase draw is just around the corner and here’s who the Red Devils could be drawn against.
United’s hefty UEFA coefficient of 92.000 means they’re in Pot 1 for Friday’s draw and are one of the highest-ranked teams in the competition.
However, the Europa League’s format change means pot placement is far less important. Clubs are going to be drawn against two teams from all four pots to make up their eight-game league phase. United will play four games at Old Trafford and four away from home, with their eight opponents being randomly determined via AI software.
|
Team |
League |
Pot |
|---|---|---|
|
Roma |
Serie A |
1 |
|
Porto |
Primeira Liga |
1 |
|
Rangers |
Scottish Premiership |
1 |
|
Eintracht Frankfurt |
Bundesliga |
1 |
|
Lazio |
Serie A |
1 |
|
Real Sociedad |
La Liga |
1/2 |
|
AZ |
Eredivisie |
1/2 |
|
Olympiacos |
Super League Greece |
2 |
|
Lyon |
Ligue 1 |
2 |
|
Athletic Club |
La Liga |
3/4 |
|
Hoffenheim |
Bundesliga |
3/4 |
|
Nice |
Ligue 1 |
3/4 |
|
Twente |
Eredivisie |
3/4 |
|
Ludogorets Razgrad/Petrocub Hîncești |
– |
3/4 |
|
RFS/APOEL |
– |
3/4 |
|
Anderlecht/Dinamo Minsk |
– |
3/4 |
|
Lugano/Besiktas |
– |
3/4 |
|
Fenerbahce |
Turkish Super Lig |
TBD |
|
Union Saint-Gilloise |
Belgian Pro League |
TBD |
|
Ajax/Jagiellonia Białystok |
– |
TBD |
|
LASK/FCSB |
– |
TBD |
|
Maccabi Tel Aviv/TSB |
– |
TBD |
|
PAOK/Shamrock Rovers |
– |
TBD |
|
Ferencvaros/Borac Banja Luka |
– |
TBD |
|
Molde/Elfsborg |
– |
TBD |
|
Braga/Rapid Wien |
– |
TBD |
|
Viktoria Plzen/Hearts |
– |
TBD |
While United will be drawn against two teams from Pot 1, they will not be able to face fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham, also in Pot 1, in the league phase. The Red Devils can also be drawn against a maximum of two teams from any given league.
Roma, finalists two seasons ago, are the only team ranked higher than Ten Hag’s side. Porto, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt and Lazio are the other confirmed Pot 1 teams United could face. Real Sociedad and Dutch outfit AZ could yet sneak into the top pot.
Conference League winners Olympiacos and Lyon are the only confirmed Pot 2 teams with many of the teams that drop down from the Champions League play-offs likely to be designated this pot. Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and Union Saint-Gilloise are other potential opponents for Man Utd, but their respective pots will not be confirmed until after the play-offs.
Athletic Club, Hoffenheim, Nice and FC Twente are the remaining confirmed participants and they will enter Friday’s draw in either Pot 3 or 4. There be much greater clarity over pot placements once all 36 teams have booked their places in the competition.
The worst possible scenario for Man Utd in terms of their league phase opponents won’t be known until the play-offs have concluded.
However, Roma and Porto are set to remain the highest-ranked teams in Pot 1, while Olympiacos and Lyon could be towards the top of Pot 2. Real Sociedad could also end up in Pot 2.
Athletic Club are the team to avoid from either Pot 3 or Pot 4 given the excellent young talent at their disposal, while Dutch giants Ajax could be one of the teams to progress via the play-offs.