The stage is set for the Europa League draw, with the remaining 16 teams - including Premier League representatives - learning their opponents on Friday from 11am onwards.
Premier League-leaders Arsenal are among the eight teams who had a free midweek ahead of the draw. They finished top of their Europa League group, ensuring they would not need to take part in the play-off round which included group runners-up and the teams who finished third in their Champions League groups.
One of those play-off matches involved the Gunners' title rivals. Manchester United drew 2-2 in Barcelona in their first leg at Camp Nou before coming from behind to send the La Liga leaders home.
The eight group winners will be seeded for the round of 16, ensuring two teams who topped their group cannot be drawn against one another. In the 2021-22 edition, West Ham were the only Premier League representatives at this stage and were handed a meeting with Sevilla, eventually prevailing after extra time.
The first three play-off games to be settled were won by the Champions League sides, with Juventus, Sevilla and Sporting Lisbon making it through. Bayer Leverkusen made it a clean sweep from the early kick-offs, though they needed a penalty shootout to get past Monaco.
It was a different story in the 8pm kick-offs, though. Roma and Union Berlin advanced, beating Red Bull Salzburg and Ajax respectively, while Shakhtar Donetsk needed penalties to get the better of Rennes after drawing 3-3 on aggregate.
Who will win the Europa League? Have your say in the comments section.
![](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article29299388.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Manchester-United-v-Barcelona-UEFA-Europa-League-Play-Off-Second-Leg-Old-Trafford.jpg)
Arsenal can play against any of the seven non-English play-off winners in the next round. That means Leverkusen, Juventus, Sevilla, Sporting, Roma, Union Berlin or Shakhtar.
United, meanwhile, will face one of seven group winners, with Arsenal unavailable. Those winners are Fenerbahce, Ferencvaros, Feyenoord, Freiburg, Real Betis, Real Sociedad and Union SG, with teams from the same group not kept apart at this stage.
There are some sub-plots at play for both English teams, and a potential rematch with United's group winners Real Sociedad is only one of them. Former United striker Robin van Persie, who was in the United Kingdom to do some work with BT Sport around the Barca game, is part of Feyenoord's coaching staff.
Arsenal, meanwhile, could find themselves up against a familiar face in the form of Hector Bellerin. The Spanish international right-back, who spent more than a decade with the Gunners before leaving for Barcelona in 2022, joined Sporting in January and played 45 minutes for his new club in Denmark as they cruised to a 5-1 aggregate victory.
In the Europa Conference League, West Ham have learned their potential opponents after topping their group. David Moyes' side could face Anderlecht, Lazio, Sheriff, AEK Larnaca, Basel, Fiorentina, Gent or Lech Poznan.