The 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad on Thursday ensured Manchester United's progression to the UEFA Europa League Playoff Round. Even though they celebrated a win, nevertheless, the Red Devils had to settle for the second position, with Real Sociedad finishing first in Group E due to a better goal differential.
At the end of Matchday 6, both sides had 15 points. After advancing from their group, Real Sociedad will now play in the Europa League's Round of 16. Erik ten Hag's players, who finished second in their group, however, will have to play in a playoff round before advancing to the last 16.
Only the teams who placed second in their respective UEL groups will advance to the playoffs, where they will meet with the clubs that finished third in the Champions League Group Stage. Group winners in the UEFA Europa League go directly to the round of 16, eliminating the need to worry about European competition until March 9.
UEFA Europa League Playoff Round: Least and most likely opponents for Manchester United
Since the Knockout Stage is scheduled for February 16 and 23, Manchester United will have two more games to accommodate into their already packed schedule. However, their journey to the finals might be challenging if Erik ten Hag's squad is pitted against a powerhouse like Barcelona or Juventus.
The draw will take place in UEFA's headquarters in Switzerland on Monday, November 7, and it just has one unique requirement. The sole limitation is that teams from the same nation cannot be pitted against one another.
Considering the fact that there is no other English team in the Europa League, there is a sizable pool of feasible opponents they may be able to get drawn with. Thus, next week, it will be known who of Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, Sporting, Salzburg, Shakhtar, Sevilla, or Juventus, United will play in the playoff round.
A supercomputer, via Reddit, has predicted that the Red Devils will most likely end up meeting Cristiano Ronaldo's former side Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, or Erik ten Hag's ex-club Ajax, as each three of them have the highest 13.68 percent chance. The remaining five possible adversaries such as Barcelona, Sporting, Salzburg, Sevilla, and Shakhtar, all have an 11.79 percent probability of meeting the Old Trafford outfit in the next round.
