Joe
Manchester United is set to reunite with their former manager, José Mourinho, after being drawn to face his current team, Fenerbahce, in the UEFA Europa League. Mourinho, who led United to a Europa League title in 2017, joined the Istanbul-based club this summer.
In addition to Fenerbahce, United will also face Glasgow Rangers at Old Trafford and travel to Porto’s Estádio do Dragão as part of the new league-phase format introduced by UEFA. The revised format, which mirrors changes in the Champions League, expands the competition to 36 teams with an eight-game league phase.
Significantly, this year, no teams will drop down from the Champions League after the first round. The official dates for the fixtures are expected to be announced on Saturday.
Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, will host Daniele De Rossi’s Roma and face a challenging away match against Galatasaray. Rangers, who were drawn alongside United, will also face Tottenham.
Under the new format, each team was drawn against eight different opponents—four matches at home and four away—across four seeded pots. Clubs from the same domestic league were kept apart, and no team can face more than two clubs from the same country.
The top eight teams at the end of the league phase will progress directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th place will advance to a knockout playoff stage, while the bottom 12 teams will be eliminated.
In the UEFA Conference League, Chelsea has been drawn against Gent, Shamrock Rovers, FC Noah, Heidenheim, Astana, and Panathinaikos.
Europa League Draw Highlights:
Manchester United: Rangers (H), Porto (A), PAOK (H), Fenerbahce (A), Bodo/Glimt (H), Viktoria (A), Twente (H), FCSB (A)
Tottenham Hotspur: Roma (H), Rangers (A), AZ Alkmaar (H), Ferencvaros (A), Qarabag (H), Galatasaray (A), Elfsborg (H), Hoffenheim (A)
Ajax: Lazio (H), Slavia Prague (A), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (A), Real Sociedad (A), Galatasaray (H), Qarabag (A), Besiktas (H), RFS (A)
Roma: Frankfurt (H), Tottenham (A), Braga (H), AZ Alkmaar (A), Dynamo Kiev (H), Union SG (A), Athletic Club (H), Elfsborg (A)
Lazio: Porto (H), Ajax (A), Real Sociedad (H), Braga (A), Ludogorets (H), Dynamo Kiev (A), Nice (H), Twente (A)
Rangers: Tottenham (H), Manchester United (A), Lyon (H), Olympiacos (A), Union SG (H), Malmo (A), FCSB (H), Nice (A)
