Complicated rivals for the Spaniards, especially for Donostiarras and Verdiblancos
The pairings for the Europa League Round of 16 are now known. Sevilla will face Fenerbahçe, Betis will face Manchester United, while Real Sociedad’s opponent will be Roma. The knockout matches in this round will be played over two legs: the first leg on March 9th and the second leg on March 16th.
Undoubtedly, the matches that Pellegrini’s and Imanol’s teams will have to face in the next phase of the continental tournament are complicated. They certainly haven’t had much luck in the draw. The Betis will have to face the ‘red devils’, the team that just eliminated Barcelona from the competition, while the Donostiarras will face Mourinho’s Roma.
However, Betis and Real Sociedad will play the second leg at home. Both were group winners, so they were seeded in the draw. Meanwhile, Sampaoli’s team, who had to face the playoff round, will play the first leg at the Sánchez Pizjuán and the decisive match away.
The pairings for the Europa League Round of 16 are:
Union Berlin vs Union Saint-Gilloise
Sevilla vs Fenerbahçe
Juventus vs Freiburg
Bayer Leverkusen vs Ferencváros
Sporting CP vs Arsenal
Manchester United vs Betis
Roma vs Real Sociedad
Shakhtar vs Feyenoord
