Who do our fans want in the quarter-finals?

Friday 17 March 2023 09:41

When Marcus Rashford fired the ball into the bottom corner in the 55th minute of our Europa League last-16 second leg against Real Betis, it put to bed any doubts that Manchester United would be in the hat for the next round of the competition.

The Reds held a healthy lead from the 4-1 first-leg triumph, of course, but under the intense pressure of the Betis support at the Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville, Erik ten Hag’s side put in a professional performance to advance to the next stage of the competition.

Who awaits United in the next round? That will be confirmed in the Europa League draw on Friday, which is set to take place at 12:00 GMT. Following Thursday's results, the likes of Juventus, Feyenoord and Roma are in the mix alongside Sporting, who eliminated Arsenal on penalties at the Emirates Stadium.

While out in Seville, we spoke to some of our supporters to get their thoughts on which sides they would like to see Ten Hag’s side drawn against in the quarters. It's safe to say the opinion among Reds fans was mixed…

Who could we face in the quarter-finals?

 Article

The path to the Europa League final in Budapest will be laid out during the draw on Friday afternoon.

Robbie, who hails from Aberdeen, quite likes the idea of following United to Lisbon to take on Sporting, who eliminated Arsenal on penalties following a 1-1 draw on the night and 3-3 tie on aggregate to leave United as the only Premier League club left in the competition..

“I don’t fancy Roma,” he said. “I’ll go with Sporting Lisbon. Lisbon is a nice place, I’d like another trip to Lisbon.”

Gary, from Chester, offered a few potential opponents that he’d be happy with drawing in the next round, as well as being abundantly clear about who he wants to avoid.

He said: “I don’t fancy coming back to Spain, but Feyenoord would be nice, or Juventus.”

Other fans, such as Ryan, a United supporter from Essex, are confident that the Reds will progress and can even go all the way, regardless of the opponents that await us in the next stage.

“To be fair, I’d play anyone in the competition who remains,” he said. “But you’ve got to beat everyone to win the tournament. I’m not really fearing anyone who remains in the draw and I’m confident that if we were to win, we can go and beat anyone.”

You can see who users of the United App voted for below, and scroll down to find out more info about each of the teams...

Who do you want to draw in the Europa League quarter-finals?poll

Who do you want to draw in the Europa League quarter-finals?

THE QUARTER-FINAL DRAW

Here are the seven other teams that made it through to the next stage of the Europa League. The semi-final draw will follow straight after...

BAYER LEVERKUSEN

The Germans, who are managed by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, beat Ferencvaros 4-0 on aggregate in the last 16 and are looking for a second success in this competition - they were victorious in 1988, in the days of the UEFA Cup.

FEYENOORD

The Rotterdam club, who Erik ten Hag will know well from his time with Ajax, battered Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 on Thursday and 8-2 on aggregate. Arne Slot's side could be a force to be reckoned with, as they lead the Eredivisie and made it to last year's Europa Conference League final. United left-back Tyrell Malacia featured in the final defeat to Roma.

JUVENTUS

Off the pace in Serie A, as they face up to the ramifications of a points deduction, the Old Lady under Max Allegri still harbour hopes of a first European trophy in 27 years after eliminating German side Freiburg. Former United men Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria are two of the stars, although the former has spent much of the season on the treatment table.

ROMA

Another Italian side containing plenty of United connections. Jose Mourinho and Chris Smalling already have a European title under their belts with Roma, and Nemanja Matic was reunited with his former manager and team-mate last summer following his Reds departure. The Romans knocked out Real Sociedad - the only team to defeat us in this season's competition.

Jose Mourinho led Roma during last season's Europa Conference League triumph.

SEVILLA

The kings of the Europa League, having claimed the trophy an astonishing six times since 2006. The Andalusians are enduring a tough season in La Liga, as they sit just two points clear of the relegation zone, but they are a different beast in Europe and edged past Fenerbahce in the last round, with United loanee Alex Telles featuring.

SPORTING

Bruno Fernandes's former club caused the surprise of the round, defeating Premier League leaders Arsenal on penalties following an absorbing tie. Pedro Goncalves's amazing 50-yard strike caught the eye, but Ruben Amorim's side are 15 points behind arch-rivals Benfica in the Primeira Liga.

UNION SAINT-GILLOISE

A Belgian second-tier side just two years ago, Union challenged for the league title in their first term after promotion - topping the regular-season table before being overtaken by Club Brugge during the play-offs. Owned by Brighton chairman Tony Bloom, they emerged 6-3 winners from their last-16 tie with fellow dark horses Union Berlin.

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