Battle Of The Titans: Manchester United To Clash With Barcelona In Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs

Barcelona will play Manchester United in the Europa League knockout round playoffs, with the winner of the two-legged matches advancing to the last-16 stage.

Barca dropped into the Europa League courtesy of their third-placed finish in their Champions League section behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

They only won twice in Group C, which left them on seven points, three points behind Inter Milan, who were eight from runaway section winners Bayern.

Man United, meanwhile, won five of their Group E fixtures in the Europa League, but it was not enough to claim first spot in the section behind Real Sociedad.

The 20-time English champions beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in their final game in the group, but they did not advance to the knockout round automatically, with the La Liga outfit shading it on goal difference.

Man United will therefore have to navigate a two-legged affair against Barcelona, with the first leg set for February 16, while the second leg will take place one week later on February 23.

READ ALSO: Champions League Round Of 16: Chelsea Face Dortmund, Liverpool Take On Real Madrid – Full List

The draw for the last-16 stage of the competition will then take place on February 24, with Arsenal, Fenerbahce, Real Betis, Union St.Gilloise, Real Sociedad, Feyenoord, Freiburg and Ferencvaros already booking their spot in the knockout round of the competition.

Man United and Barcelona last met in the quarter-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League, with the La Liga outfit triumphing 4-0 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, they also locked horns in the final of the Champions League in 2008-09 and 2010-11, with Barcelona running out 2-0 and 3-1 winners respectively.

Elsewhere, Italian giants Juventus have been drawn against Nantes in the Europa League knockout playoffs, while Sporting Lisbon will take on FC Midtjylland.

Shakhtar Donetsk will face Rennes, Ajax will tackle Union Berlin, while Bayer Leverkusen will take on Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.

The final two fixtures drawn were Sevilla against PSV Eindhoven, and Red Bull Salzburg versus Roma, with the eight winners advancing to the last-16 stage of the competition alongside the teams that won their sections.

Europa League knockout round playoff draw List

Barcelona vs. Manchester United
Juventus vs. Nantes
Sporting Lisbon vs. FC Midtjylland
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Rennes
Ajax vs. Union Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Monaco
Sevilla vs. PSV Eindhoven
Red Bull Salzburg vs. Roma