…Inter Tackles Getafe, As Wolves Engage Olympiacos
Manchester United face LASK Linz of Austria in the round of 16 of the Europa League, while Inter Milan will have to pass Getafe and Rangers battle Bayer Leverkusen. This is just as Arsenal failed to scale the round of 32 hurdle.
Meanwhile, five-time winners, Sevilla, lock horns with Roma.
United’s boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is looking to emulate his predecessor, Jose Mourinho, by savouring success in Europe’s second-tier competition.
The Portuguese had guided Manchester United to glory back in 2017, with the Red Devils having endured a barren run on the trophy front since then.
They will, however, be confident of prolonging their continental campaign three years on after being paired with the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, Austrian hopefuls, LASK.
Inter are another of those setting their sights on the ultimate prize, with the Serie A heavyweights hoping to see their star-studded squad deliver tangible reward in the 2019/2020 season.
The Serie A title challengers were forced to play the second leg of their last-32 clash with Ludogorets behind closed doors due to an outbreak of the coronavirus in northern Italy.
It however, remains to be seen whether the turnstiles will be in operation again by the time the Nerazzurri take in a meeting with Getafe.
Wolves take a trip to Olympiacos, where a lively atmosphere can be expected; as the Athens-based outfit stunned Arsenal in the first knockout round, and are now chasing down a second Premier League scalp.
Nuno Espirito Santo has, however, seen Wolves win many admirers during their return to European competition and Molineux will be bouncing for the second leg of an eagerly-anticipated tie.
Fireworks can also be expected at Ibrox when Rangers play host to Bayer Leverkusen, as the Glasgow giants have already progressed further than Old Firm rivals, Celtic, who came unstuck against FC Copenhagen in the last 32.
And the reward for the Danish outfit is a date with Istanbul Basaksehir, who are gracing this stage of the competition for the first time, following a thrilling extra-time victory over Sporting C.P.
Spanish side, Sevilla, know what it takes to progress through the business end of the Europa League and will want to put down another marker to their rivals when tackling Roma.
Wolfsburg will be doing likewise when facing Shakhtar Donetsk, while FC Basel are still waiting to discover who they will face after a storm warning in Austria delayed the second leg of Eintracht Frankfurt’s meeting with Red Bull Salzburg.
All of those left in the competition will be desperate to book a spot in the quarter-finals, while also dreaming of making it all the way to the final in Gdansk on May 27.
