NYON: The risk of fan violence looked high in the last 16 of the Europa League after Friday’s draw produced a volatile matchup between Manchester United and Rostov.

Russian and English fans clashed in Marseille last year during the European Championships, and the Red Devils and Rostov are followed by vicious firms of hardcore fans.

According to UEFA coefficients, Rostov are the lowest-ranked team left in the tournament but they finished second in the Russian league last season and beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage last November.

Jose Mourinho’s United, the only remaining English club, are three-time European champions but have never won the second-tier tournament.

“It will be a nice experience, we will have the chance to play at Old Trafford,” said Rostov midfielder Andrei Prepelita. “They have top players and a top coach, but we’ve had good results and we beat Bayern. It is good to play the first leg at home and I hope the cold weather will be on our side.”

Mourinho said this week he wanted to avoid a Russian club as United face Chelsea in the FA Cup in between the two legs on March 9 and March 16, but the draw was greeted with delight in Rostov.

“We reacted with joy on seeing the draw,” Rostov director Ali Uzdenov told R-Sport agency. “The guys are ready to face any opponent, Man United especially. These matches

will be the very special events for everyone in Rostov, not just the football fans.”

Italian side AS Roma, also among the competition favourites, drew French club Olympique Lyon which could be the clash of the round. Lyon and Roma met in the 2007 Champions League round of 16, when the Italian side prevailed 2-0 on aggregate.

There is also an all-German pairing as Schalke 04 take on Borussia Moenchengladbach, while two of the three remaining Belgian sides were also cast together as Genk drew Gent for only the second all-Belgian matchup in the history of UEFA competitions.

Anderlecht landed Cypriots APOEL as Greek champions Olympiakos play Turkey’s Besiktas.

Celta Vigo — La Liga’s sole remaining representative in the second-tier European competition — host another Russian outfit FC Krasnodar as Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam travel to FC Copenhagen.

The final will be in Stockholm on May 24. The winner gains entry to the Champions League.

Last-16 draw: Celta Vigo (Spain) v FC Krasnodar (Russia); Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus) v Anderlecht (Belgium); Schalke 04 (Germany) v Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany); Olympique Lyon (France) v AS Roma (Italy); Rostov (Russia) v Manchester United (England); Olympiacos (Greece) v Besiktas (Turkey); Gent (Belgium) v Genk (Belgium); FC Copenhagen (Denmark) v Ajax (Netherlands).

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017