Manchester United will discover their Europa League group stage opponents for the coming season on Friday (August 26), with some potentially difficult ties awaiting them.
United won the competition in 2017, as Jose Mourinho’s side beat Ajax in the final. Since then, the Reds have failed to lift a trophy and now it is Erik ten Hag, who was appointed as Ajax head coach later that year, that finds himself tasked with the job of ending United’s trophy drought.
The Reds are top seeds for the draw alongside Premier League rivals Arsenal, and Mourinho's current club – AS Roma. Ten Hag's side will not be eligible to face the Gunners or any of the other sides in 'Pot One' as they hope for as simple a group stage draw as possible.
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On Thursday, all 32 sides were confirmed – made up of clubs who have already qualified in their domestic league, those who have lost their Champions League play-off, and those who have won their Europa League play-off.
Given the congested fixtures list later in the season due to the World Cup in November, United will be hoping for a group that would allow Ten Hag to rotate his players and even give some youngsters a chance to impress.
The group stage calendar is due to cause some issues for Ten Hag's side, as they have games against both Arsenal and Manchester City just days after their scheduled group stage matches. Due to the World Cup, the group stage matches will be wrapped up by the beginning of November - a month earlier than last season.
A look at the group seedings shows that United will definitely avoid AS Roma, Lazio, Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Dynamo Kyiv and Olympiakos from Pot One, along with Arsenal, as teams from the same association cannot meet in the group stages.
From Pot Two, that leaves possible pairings with Feyenoord, Rennes, PSV Eindhoven, AS Monaco, Real Sociedad, Qarabag, Malmo or Ludogorets.
Pot Three will have Sheriff Tiraspol, Real Betis, FC Midtjylland, Bodo/Glimt, Ferencvaros, Union Berlin, Freiburg and Fenerbahce in it.
Pot Four has Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise as well as Nantes, HJK Helsinki, Sturm Graz, FC Zurich, Omonia Nicosia, AEK Larnaca and Trabzonspor.
So of those possible opponents, we've looked at the best and worst scenarios to come from the draw for United later on Friday.
United's best possible Europa League draw
Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets are the lowest-ranked team in Pot Two, according to UEFA coefficients, overcoming Lithuanian side FK Zalgiris 4-3 on aggregate in the Europa League group stage qualifiers on Thursday night. They are currently third in the Bulgarian First Professional Football League – four points behind CSKA 1948 Sofia.
Turkish side Fenerbahce are the lowest-ranked side in Pot Three, although they currently sit top of the Turkish Super Lig after three games.
Union Saint-Gilloise would represent a very short journey for United, giving an added bonus to a potential matchup for United. The Belgian team were knocked out by Rangers in their Champions League qualifying match and are currently ninth in the Belgian Pro League.
United's best draw scenario: United, Ludogorets, Fenerbahce, Union Saint-Gilloise
United's w orst possible Europa League draw
Last season's run to the final of the Europa Conference League has helped make Feyenoord the highest-ranked side in Pot Two and the Dutch side currently sit second in the Eredivisie table behind Ajax.
Moldovan side Sheriff are the top team in Pot Three after claiming a famous 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League group stage last season. They ultimately ended up falling down into the Europa League knockout stages, where they were beaten on penalties by Portuguese outfit Braga.
And Finnish side HJK Helsinki are the best side in Pot Four, according to UEFA coefficients. They secured their place in the group stage with a 2-1 aggregate win over Danish side Silkeborg on Thursday night. They are currently joint-top of the Finnish Veikkausliiga on 40 points after 19 games.
United's worst draw scenario: Man United, Feyenoord, Sheriff, HJK Helsinki
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