Manchester United face a nightmare fixture schedule after their place in the Europa League play-off round was confirmed on Thursday night. Erik ten Hag's side needed to defeat Real Sociedad by a two-goal margin in their final group game to win Group E, but ended up staying in second place after a 1-0 win.
It means that although United have qualified for the next round, they will need to overcome a two-legged play-off tie against a team that finished third in their respective Champions League group to decide which side should move on to the knockout stage proper.
That tie now needs to be played across February 14 and February 21, adding a further two fixtures to a packed schedule that is already in need of finding space for another two rearranged matches.
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United had hoped that by winning the group, they would be able to reschedule Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Leeds, both of which had been postponed due to the Queen's death.
However, United now have a potential fixture every weekend and midweek until the end of the season, depending on how well they do in the domestic cup competitions.
All remaining empty midweek slots are currently reserved for possible FA Cup replays, League Cup dates, European dates, or empty midweeks already reserved for specified catch-up dates for domestic cup competitions.
The issue is not only about United's progress in the respective cup competitions, but also about the success of the teams they must face. For example, even if Ten Hag's side were knocked out of the League Cup by Aston Villa next week, they would also need Palace or Leeds to be knocked out for the midweek to become free.
It's easy to see why Ten Hag was so desperate to win the group.
United's nightmare fixture schedule
January 10 - Carabao Cup quarter-final
Jan 17 - FA Cup third round replays
Jan 24 - Carabao Cup semi-final first leg
Jan 31 - Carabao Cup semi-final second leg
February 7- FA Cup fourth round replays
Feb 14 - European competition knockouts
Feb 21 - European competition knockouts
Feb 28 - FA Cup fifth round
March 7 - European competition knockouts
March 14 - European competition knockouts
March 21 - International break
March 28 - International break
April 4 - vacant midweek
April 11 - European competition quarter-final
April 18 - European competition quarter-final
April 25 - Premier League fixtures
May 2 - vacant midweek
May 9 - European competition semi-final
May 16 - European competition semi-final
May 23 - vacant midweek
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