Manchester City fans have been sending their best wishes to former manager Manuel Pellegrini after his current Real Betis side drew Manchester United in the Europa League round of 16.
Betis, who currently sit fifth in La Liga, qualified for the round of 16 automatically having finished top of Group C. United, meanwhile, had to progress the hard way after they finished second in Group E behind Real Sociedad.
In the Europa League play-offs, the Reds managed to beat Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate to book a place in the next stage of the competition. The draw for that next stage was made on Friday morning and United have been drawn against Betis.
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Pellegrini spent three years at the Etihad Stadium. During that time, the Chilean won the Premier League and two Carabao Cups with the Blues, meaning supporters still hold him in high regard and have sent him good luck messages ahead of the tie.
After leaving City to make room for the appointment of Pep Guardiola, Pellegrini moved to China to manage Hebei China Fortune for a couple of years before returning to the Premier League in 2018 for a spell with West Ham United. Following that stint in the capital, Pellegrini moved back to Spain - where he had previously coached Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga - to take on the Betis role.
The 69-year-old has been at the club since 2020 and has a contract until 2025. Betis' first leg against United will take place on Thursday, March 9 before the return leg a week later on March 16.
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