The Europa League has reached the end of the group stage and 32 clubs, including eight that have dropped out of the Champions League, will progress to the first knockout round in February.
The last 32 draw for will be held at UEFA HQ in Nyon, Switzerland from 12.00 (GMT) on Monday 14 December, shortly after the Champions League last 16 draw has finished.
Where to Watch
Live coverage of the last 32 draw will be streamed on UEFA’s official website, but UK television viewers can alternatively catch it on BT Sport 2 from 12.00.
How Does the Draw Work?
As usual, half of the 32 teams will be seeded and the remaining 16 unseeded.
Of the 16 seeded clubs, 12 are the Europa League group winners and the other four are the best third-placed sides from the Champions League group stage. These clubs will also have the advantage of playing the second leg of their last 32 tie at home.
The unseeded clubs are the 12 Europa League group runners-up and the four remaining teams that have dropped out of the Champions League.
At this stage of the competition, clubs cannot be drawn against a team that qualified from the same Europa League group. Country protection is also still in place, which means no two sides from the same national association can be paired together just yet.
Who’s In the Draw?
Seeded Teams
Roma
Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Rangers
PSV Eindhoven
Napoli
Leicester City
AC Milan
Villarreal
Tottenham Hotspur
Dinamo Zagreb
Hoffenheim
Manchester United
Club Brugge
Shakhtar Donetsk
Ajax
Unseeded Teams
Young Boys
Molde
Slavia Prague
Benfica
Granada
Real Sociedad
Braga
Lille
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Antwerp
Wolfsberger
Red Star Belgrade
Krasnodar
Red Bull Salzburg
Dynamo Kyiv
Olympiacos
When Will the Games Be Played?
The first legs of the last 32 ties will be played on Thursday 18 February 2021, followed by the second legs one week later on Thursday 25 February.
The draw for the last 16 will then be made by UEFA the following day on Friday 26 February.
Best & Worst Case Scenarios
Manchester United are seeded and can face any of the 16 unseeded clubs. They will automatically avoid tough ties like AC Milan, Roma and Napoli, while they cannot be matched with any fellow Premier League sides. But there are still some potentially tough draws available.
Obvious ones to avoid are La Liga title chasers Real Sociedad and Portuguese giants Benfica, while lengthy round trips to play Krasnodar, Dynamo Kyiv or Maccabi Tel Aviv are best avoided. None of the English quartet will fancy major travel commitments.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be reunited with former club Molde, who were beaten home and away by Arsenal in the group stage. Young Boys, who United last played in 2018, Wolfsberger and Antwerp, United’s former feeder club, are other more favourable ties.
Manchester United’s possible last 32 opponents: Young Boys, Molde, Slavia Prague, Benfica, Granada, Real Sociedad, Braga, Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Antwerp, Wolfsberger, Red Star Belgrade, Krasnodar, Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos
Arsenal were the only club in either the Europa League or Champions League to emerge from the group stage with six wins from six and a maximum of 18 points.
Europe has offered some respite from a woeful start to the Premier League for the Gunners, who have the same potential opponents as Manchester United, minus Molde.
Arsenal’s possible last 32 opponents: Young Boys, Slavia Prague, Benfica, Granada, Real Sociedad, Braga, Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Antwerp, Wolfsberger, Red Star Belgrade, Krasnodar, Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos
Tottenham also won their Europa League group and are seeded for the last 32. They can therefore face all unseeded teams, apart from Antwerp as they qualified from the same group.
Tottenham’s possible last 32 opponents: Young Boys, Molde, Slavia Prague, Benfica, Granada, Real Sociedad, Braga, Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Wolfsberger, Red Star Belgrade, Krasnodar, Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos
Leicester topped their group in their first season back in Europe since playing in the 2016/17 Champions League, and only their second since the 2000/01 UEFA Cup.
Like their fellow English clubs, they will also hope to avoid lengthy away trips, but there are a number of sides they will fancy their chances against.
Leicester’s possible last 32 opponents: Young Boys, Molde, Slavia Prague, Benfica, Granada, Real Sociedad, Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Wolfsberger, Red Star Belgrade, Krasnodar, Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
Source : 90min