It was finally an exciting night at Old Trafford as Manchester United were able to win 4-1 in front of their home fans and knocked out Real Sociedad after the 1-1 draw in the first leg of Europa League round of 16 action. Ruben Amorim’s men, thanks to a solid performance, will now face Lyon in the quarterfinals after the side coached by Paulo Fonseca eliminated FCSB. While Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were eliminated by Rangers in penalties, Tottenham Hotspur managed to win the home leg against AZ and will now face Eintracht Frankfurt in the next round. Meanwhile, Lazio will face Bodo/Glimt as the only Italian side remaining in the tournament after Athletic Club’s win over AS Roma.
As always, you can watch all the UEL action live on Paramount+.
Here are the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal ties, ranked.
4. Bodo/Glimt vs. Lazio
Lazio dominated the league phase of the UEFA Europa League as the side coached by Marco Baroni had six wins in eight games and ended up at the top of the table before meeting Viktoria Plzen and beating the Czech team in the round of 16 of the competition. Lazio, a strong candidate for the win of the Europa League, will meet Bodo/Glimt who return to Rome after facing AS Roma twice in the last two years. The winning side of this tie will face the winner of the quarterfinals between Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt.
3. Rangers vs. Athletic Club
After eliminating Mourinho and Fenerbahce, Rangers will now face Athletic Club as the Spanish team were able to beat AS Roma at the San Mames after losing the first leg in Rome. This is going to be an exciting matchup especially for the atmospheres that surround the two sides when they play in front of their home fans. The winning team will face the winner of Lyon vs. Manchester United in the semifinals.
2. Tottenham Hotspur vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
With Spurs still struggling in the Premier League, their only chance to play European soccer next season will depend on their Europa League outcome, same as Manchester United. However, to have any chance, they’ll have to get by German side Eintracht Frankfurt, winners of the Europa League in 2022. Coach Ange Postecoglou is definitely aware that his future will also depend on their European fate, so it’s likely they will focus more on this tournament in the next couple of weeks.
1. Lyon vs. Manchester United
This is going to be by far the best matchup of the quarterfinals as Manchester United will definitely go all in after the disappointing Premier League season they are having, and winning the Europa League is their sole chance to play European soccer next season. On the other side, Lyon are also in a good form and winning the tournament can make their season look much better after the club decided to replace the manager during the season, as they appointed former AC Milan boss Fonseca on Jan. 31, replacing Pierre Sage. United can also count on Bruno Fernandes, who has the most goals and assists combined (24 goals, 17 assists) of any player in UEFA Europa League history, according to Opta.
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