Barcelona, Man United Drawn In Europa League Playoffs

1 year ago
1 min read

The draw for the playoffs stages of the UEFA Europa League was held on Thursday with the standout fixtures being the huge two-legged games between Barcelona and Manchester United.

Barcelona finished third in a Champions League group that contained Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Juventus are another top side that dropped down to the second tier European football tournament to the shock of many football faithful who are now guaranteed of some magnificent experience in the competition that has always been derided.

Arsenal’s incredible form in the competition – which saw the Gunners top Group A – means Mikel Arteta’s side progress straight into the round of 16 and avoid a potentially tricky tie.

The Gunners lost only one game, against PSV away in six games to top their pool ahead of FC Zürich and Bodo/Glimt.

 

READ ALSO: UEFA Europa League Roundup: Arsenal Pips Bodo/Glimt, Uzoho Superb Despite Defeat To Man United

 

The play-offs is a bonus round that was introduced last season and sees the eight runners-up from the Europa League group stage and the eight third-placed teams in the Champions League face off.

La Liga frontrunners Barcelona, Serie A giants Juventus and serial tournament winners Sevilla are among the Champions League sides dropping into the competition. Manchester United, PSV, Roma and Monaco are among the Europe League teams waiting to discover their fate.

While Arsenal are not involved in the play-off draw, fans will be eager to find out who the likes of Man United, Barcelona and Juventus get as they are who the Gunners will face in the next stage of the competition.

Here are all of the fixtures from the Europa League knockout round play-off draw:

Barcelona vs Manchester United

Juventus vs Nantes

Sporting Lisbon vs Midtjylland

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rennes

Ajax vs Union Berlin

Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco

Sevilla vs PSV

FC Salzburg vs Roma

The first leg ties of thesecmatches will hold on Thursday, 16 February 2023.

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.

In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.

He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.

Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.

He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.

Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.

Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.

In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.

He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.

Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.

He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.

Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.

Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.


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