Friday at 13.00, the group stage of the European League tied.
In this season’s tournament, 32 teams will participate in the second largest of the three continental tournaments organized by UEFA.
United is among the top eight seeded teams entering the tournament and is the team in the tournament with the highest coefficient which is the set of “points” that teams have had with them from the previous five seasons in Europe. He helped United immensely by reaching the Europa League final under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 2020/2021 season.
Jose Mourinho’s Roma side won the European Conference League title last season and are also the top seed, meaning United will not meet their former manager in the group stage.
Here is an overview of the four different pots when all 32 teams are ready:
First seed:
Manchester United
Rome
Arsenal
Lazio
SC Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Dynamo Kyiv
Olympiacos
pot 2:
Feyenoord
Eindhoven Eindhoven
Rain
AS Monaco
Real Sociedad
Qarabagh FK
Malmo FF
Ludogorets Razgrad
Pot 3:
Sheriff of Tiraspol
Real Betis
Central Jutland
Bodo / Glimt
Ferencváros TC
Union Berlin
SC Freiburg
Fenerbahce
pot 4:
Nantes
Helsinki Helsinki
SK Storm Graz
AEK Larnaca
AC Omonia
FC Zurich
Federation of Saint-Gilloise
Trabzonspor
Meeting with Ex-Red and another visit to Norway?
United could face all teams from pots 2, 3 and 4. This means United could end up in a group with PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and Finland’s HJK Helsinki.
If United were drawn with PSV, it would be a meeting with Old Trafford for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who this summer took over as manager of the club that United took from 2001.
At Bodo, they may be sitting back and hoping one group will end up like them and United take another trip to Norwegian soil.
Possible long trips
If you look at what would be less convenient for United in terms of travel routes around Europe, you would end up in a group with Qarabag from Azerbaijan or Ludogorets from Bulgaria in Pot 2.
Sharif Tiraspol shocked the entire football world when they beat Real Madrid in the Champions League last season, and it will also be a potentially long trip for Tin Hag and his crew if the ticket for Moldova’s team with United is pulled out of Pot 3.
From Pot 4, there can be trips to everything from AEK Larnaca and Omonia in Cyprus, Trabzonspor in Turkey to Nantes in France.
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