Manchester United’s UEFA Europa League campaign is set to kick off in September, with the draw for the league phase now completed. Among their notable fixtures, the Red Devils will face Porto and Fenerbahce away, with the latter managed by former boss Jose Mourinho.
This season, the Europa League will feature a restructured format similar to the Champions League. Instead of the usual six match days, there will be eight, with all 36 teams grouped in a single table. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the round of 16, while those finishing from ninth to 24th will compete in knockout round play-offs, with the winners progressing to the last 16.
United finished eighth in the Premier League table last season but secured a Europa League spot thanks to their FA Cup success. They are scheduled to play four home games against Scottish side Rangers, Greek champions PAOK, Norwegian team Bodo Glimt, and Dutch side FC Twente.
On the road, they will face two challenging matches – first against Porto and then against Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. They will also play against Viktoria Plzen and Romanian side FCSB.
The group stage will run until the end of January, with the knockout rounds beginning in February. United are certainly considered strong contenders in the Europa League, and Erik ten Hag will be aiming for his team to win their first European trophy since 2017.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Erik ten Hag is under pressure to deliver
Erik ten Hag was under immense pressure until the end of last season, but the FA Cup win drove the new-look board to give him another chance. They have since made several signings to give Ten Hag the depth needed ahead for a demanding season.
However, their recent defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion once again exposed recurring issues from the last campaign. United were close to earning a point, but a late defensive lapse allowed Joao Pedro to score a stoppage-time winner.
As a result, Gary Neville believes that Ten Hag will face significant pressure to deliver in their upcoming game against Liverpool before the international break.
“A really depressing end to the game. I thought a draw would have been half acceptable but to lose the game puts an awful lot of pressure on Erik ten Hag and on towards the game next week against Liverpool,” Neville said (via Daily Mail).
United are also facing new injury issues, with Mason Mount, who started the first two games, now sidelined due to a hamstring injury. He will join Victor Lindelof, Rasmus Hojlund, and Luke Shaw on the treatment table.
