Man Utd’s potential opponents in the 2024/25 Europa League

A terribly underwhelming 2023/24 campaign for Manchester United was somewhat salvaged with an FA Cup triumph to conclude the season.

It was a win that could have saved Erik ten Hag’s job and the shock victory over their far superior Manchester neighbors at Wembley means United will be competing in this season’s Europa League.

While Ten Hag boasts a stellar domestic cup record with the Red Devils, the Dutchman’s record in Europe is far less inspiring. After exiting this competition two seasons ago with a 3-0 defeat to Sevilla in the quarter-finals, United finished below FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray in their Champions League the last departure of the group: leaving Europe completely before the new year.

However, optimism is beginning to manifest itself at the Theater of Dreams once again after a busy summer and the Europa League represents an excellent opportunity for Ten Hag’s United to shine. The The new draw for the league stage is just around the corner and here’s who the Red Devils could be up against.

unitedThe high UEFA coefficient of 92,000 means they are in Pot 1 for Friday’s draw and are one of the highest ranked teams in the competition.

However, the change in Europa League format means pot placement is much less important. The clubs will face two teams from each of the four pots to form their eight-match league stage. United will play four games at Old Trafford and four away from home, with their eight opponents randomly determined by AI software.

Although United will face two Pot 1 sides, they will not be able to face fellow Premier League side Tottenham, also in Pot 1, in the league stage. The Red Devils can also be drawn against a maximum of two teams in any league.

Romefinalists two seasons ago, they are the only team ranked above the Ten Hag team. Porto, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt i Lacius are the other confirmed Pot 1 teams United could face. Royal Society and Dutch dress THE it could still seep into the upper pot.

Conference winners Olympiakos i Lyon are the only confirmed teams in Pot 2 with many of the teams who fall out of the Champions League play-offs likely to be named in this pot. Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe i Union Saint-Gilloise are other potential rivals for Man Utd, but their respective pots will not be confirmed until after the play-offs.

Athletic Club, Hoffenheim, Nice i FC Twente are the remaining confirmed entrants and will enter Friday’s draw in either Pot 3 or 4. There will be much more clarity on pot placement once all 36 teams have booked their places in the competition.

The worst possible scenario for Man Utd in terms of their league stage opponents will not be known until the play-offs are over.

However, Rome i Port are still the top-ranked teams in Pot 1, while Olympiakos i Lyon it could be towards the top of pot 2. Royal Society could also end up in Pot 2.

Athletic Club is the team to avoid in Pot 3 or Pot 4 given the excellent young talent at their disposal, while the Dutch giants Ajax could be one of the teams that will progress in the play-offs.

READ THE LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS, PREDICTIONS AND SCORES HERE