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Friday 24 January 2025 10:15
Manchester United have already confirmed progress beyond the current stage of the 2024/25 Europa League.
The Reds are guaranteed at least a place in the play-offs but we are well positioned to finish among the top eight in the 36-team table and, therefore, secure an automatic spot in the round of 16.
Our chances of achieving that were boosted on Thursday night, as Bruno Fernandes scored a dramatic 92nd-minute winner to settle the all-British affair with Rangers at Old Trafford.
Bruno’s goal enabled United to move from ninth – where we’d dropped to in the live, ‘as-it-stands’ table, following Cyriel Dessers’ equaliser – to fourth, behind only Lazio, Eintracht Frankfurt and Athletic Club.
The Romans have all but secured top spot and the no.1 seed in the knockouts, and are the only team beyond our reach, after claiming 19 of a possible 21 points so far.
90 in 20: United v Rangers Video
90 in 20: United v Rangers
Presenting extended highlights of Thursday evening’s Battle of Britain at Old Trafford…
Frankfurt and the team from Bilbao, where this year’s final takes place, are on 16 points and United’s current tally is 15.
Lyon, Tottenham, Anderlecht and our final league-phase opponents, FCSB, round out the top eight, with all four sides locked together on 14 points.
That means victory in Romania next Thursday will guarantee a last-16 spot and mean a finish of second, third or fourth for the Reds, depending on the results of Roma v Frankfurt and Athletic Club v Viktoria Plzen.
A draw over in Bucharest is also highly likely to be enough to seal one of the eight slots, as FCSB would remain below us in the table in that event.
Of the teams outside of the top eight, only Galatasaray and Bodo/Glimt would be able to match our tally, so both would have to win – the latter by two clear goals – and Lyon, Tottenham and Anderlecht also take three points in their outings for us to drop out.
United are undefeated in Europe this season but, should FCSB get the better of us, we could still go through automatically, however, we’d be relying on a couple of those teams, plus Plzen and Olympiacos (both on 12 points) to slip up.
There’s a lot to get your head around then but the knockout rounds should be simpler, once the bracket is confirmed.
A team’s position in the bracket is partially determined by its league-phase finish, so the sides placing between ninth and 16th are seeded in the play-offs, while those in 17th to 24th are not.
The draw is split into four sections, with seeded teams paired with one of two possible unseeded opponents.
The format will be replicated for the round of 16, as the top-eight clubs are seeded and the play-off winners are unseeded. Ties will, as usual, take place over two home-and-away legs, up to the final.
There is no restriction on sides from the same country playing each other and it is also possible to face a team you came up against in the league phase.
MATCHDAY EIGHT FIXTURES
All games will kick off simultaneously, at 20:00 GMT.
Ajax v Galatasaray
Anderlecht v Hoffenheim
Athletic Club v Viktoria Plzen
Braga v Lazio
Dynamo Kyiv v RFS
FCSB v UNITED
Ferencvaros v AZ
Lyon v Ludogorets
Maccabi Tel Aviv v Porto
Midtjylland v Fenerbahce
Nice v Bodo/Glimt
Olympiacos v Qarabag
Rangers v Union Saint-Gilloise
Real Sociedad v PAOK
Roma v Eintracht Frankfurt
Slavia Prague v Malmo
Tottenham v Elfsborg
Twente v Besiktas
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Friday 24 January 2025 10:15
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