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Published 18 Mar, 2023 06:50am

United take on Sevilla, Juve meet Sporting in quarter-finals

NYON: Manchester United will face record six-times Europa League winners Sevilla in the quarter-finals while Juventus take on Sporting Lisbon for a place in the last four after the draw was held in Nyon on Friday.

AS Roma take on Feyenoord in a repeat of last season’s Europa Conference League final won by the Italians, with Bayer Leverkusen drawn on Friday against Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium.

United, who won the competition in 2017 and lost the final two years ago, could potentially take on Juventus — and former midfielder Paul Pogba — in the semi-finals.

The English side host Sevilla in the first leg of their tie on April 13, with the return a week later in Spain.

Sevilla defeated United 2-1 in a single-leg semi-final in the 2019-20 competition en route to their most recent Europa League title.

“They have a very good record and we have to be aware of it,” said United coach Erik ten Hag. “It is going to be tough, they are very experienced in the Europa League and have won it so many times. I don’t know the team in detail but for me the most important is football and I don’t look forward to Sevilla.”

Sevilla, coached by former Chile and Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli, are the fourth Spanish opponents United will face in this season’s Europa League.

Ten Hag’s side finished second behind Real Sociedad in the group stage before defeating Barcelona in the knockout round play-offs. United beat Sevilla’s city rivals Real Betis in the last 16.

Juve, who dropped out of the Champions League after finishing third in their group, will look to win the competition after their top-four hopes in Serie A were all but dashed with a 15-point deduction over their transfer dealings .

The Turin-based side are seventh in Serie A, 10 points behind fourth-placed AC Milan. Winning the Europa League guarantees a spot in the Champions League next season.

The semi-finals will be played May 11 and 18 with the final scheduled for Wednesday, May 31 in Budapest.

West Ham United play Belgian club Gent in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Struggling Belgian giants Anderlecht play Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, while Nice face Basel of Switzerland and Fiorentina take on Lech Poznan of Poland.

The final of Europe’s third-tier competition is on June 7 in Prague.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2023

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