UEFA’s second competition has undergone a significant change this season, with a 36-team league replacing the previous 32-team group phase.
Man Utd and Tottenham’s Europa League play-off draw reveals their last-16 route. After placing in the top eight of the league phase, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Rangers are all in the running for the round of 16, while 16 other teams must advance through the play-offs.
Eight teams advanced to the next round, capping an entertaining league round that went down to the last minute, and the Europa League is about to approach its business end.
Tottenham finished fourth after a 3-0 victory over Elfsborg in which their youthful players excelled, while Manchester United solidified their advancement with a 2-0 victory over FCSB and took third place.
Rangers also secured automatic qualification after defeating Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium 2-1, ranking seventh on goal differential.
League leaders Lazio, who finished with 19 points, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon, and Olympiakos are joining the British teams.
Ajax and Galatasaray are among the teams that will have to go through a play-off round, with first legs on February 13 and second legs on February 20, if they finished between ninth and twenty-fourth.