NYON, Switzerland: Manchester United were paired with Real Betis in the round of 16 of the Europa League on Friday, giving the 2017 champions another Spanish opponent after eliminating Barcelona.
United will host the fifth-place Spanish team on March 9 in the first leg at Old Trafford, where Barcelona were beaten 2-1 on Thursday to complete a 4-3 aggregate victory.
“They are a playing team, a skillful team,” Man United manager Erik ten Hag said of Betis, who his team played in a friendly during the mid-season break for the World Cup. “You know what you get from Spanish football. We also played Real Sociedad this season and so we know (that) only when you play your best, you have a chance to survive.”
The last Ukrainian team left in this season’s European competitions, Shakhtar Donetsk, were drawn to face Dutch league leader Feyenoord. Shakhtar will have three defenders suspended for the first leg they will host in neighboring Poland because of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
Premier League leader Arsenal will face Sporting Lisbon, with the first leg played in Portugal.
Arsenal were seeded in the draw because they were among the eight winners of Europa League groups, and those teams play the second leg at home. Unseeded teams hosting the first leg came through the playoff round, which involved Europa League group runners-up and teams which placed third in a Champions League group.
Juventus were paired with Freiburg and six-time champion Sevilla will be at home first against Fenerbahce. Union Berlin will have a reunion with Union Saint-Gilloise after they also met twice in the group stage.
Roma, coached by José Mourinho, will play Real Sociedad, while Bayer Leverkusen were paired with Ferencvaros.
Ferencvaros will host the second leg at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, the stadium that will also stage the Europa League final on May 31.
In the round of 16 of the third-tier Europa Conference League, Villarreal — a Champions League semifinalist last season — were paired with Anderlecht while Fiorentina will host the first leg against Sivasspor.
In other matches, West Ham travel to Cyprus for the first leg against AEK Larnaca, Sheriff will host Nice in Moldova, and Lazio are at home first against AZ Alkmaar, potentially on March 7 to avoid a clash at Stadio Olimpico with Roma’s game in the Europa League.
Also, it was: Lech Poznan vs. Djurgarden; Basel vs. Slovan Bratislava; and Gent vs. Istanbul Basaksehir.
The Europa Conference League final is scheduled for June 7 in Prague.
Man United drawn with Real Betis in last 16 of Europa League
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Man United drawn with Real Betis in last 16 of Europa League
- United will host the fifth-place Spanish team on March 9 in the first leg at Old Trafford
- Premier League leader Arsenal will face Sporting Lisbon, with the first leg played in Portugal
Xabi Alonso leaves Real Madrid by mutual agreement after seven months
- Real Madrid parted ways with Alonso a little more than seven months after appointing him
- Arbeloa will take over the job immediately and will be on the sidelines on Wednesday
MADRID: Coach Xabi Alonso has left Real Madrid by mutual agreement a day after their 3-2 defeat by bitter rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, the LaLiga club said on Monday.
“Xabi Alonso will always have the love and admiration of all Real Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has represented the values of our club at all times. Real Madrid will always be his home,” the club said in a statement.
They added that second-team manager and former defender Alvaro Arbeloa will take over the first team job.
Real Madrid parted ways with Alonso a little more than seven months after appointing him, following a poor run of results in all competitions.
Former Real midfielder Alonso, who was handed a three-year contract in May after an impressive stint with Bayer Leverkusen, saw his tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu quickly unravel.
The former Spain international had guided Leverkusen to a historic unbeaten campaign to win the Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season, along with a German Cup triumph and a Europa League final appearance, prompting Real to bring him back to the club as manager.
However, Alonso’s return failed to replicate the success of a fellow former Real Madrid midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, who famously led the club to three consecutive Champions League titles.
His tenure was marred by internal discord, with reports of clashes with senior players, including co-captain Federico Valverde and winger Vinicius Jr.
Real’s poor performances under Alonso included humbling losses to Paris St. Germain in the Club World Cup, to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, and Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League.
Arbeloa will take over the job immediately and will be on the sidelines on Wednesday as Real visit second-division side Albacete in a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie.
After leading LaLiga earlier in the season with a comfortable five-point advantage over old rivals Barcelona, Alonso’s Real collapsed and are now second, four points behind last year’s champions Barca.
Alonso’s appointment was initially seen as a long-term project, but his dismissal signals the club’s impatience with Real falling short of their high standards.
The 44-year-old, who made 236 appearances for Los Blancos as a player between 2009 and 2014, won a LaLiga title, two Copa del Rey trophies, and the club’s long-awaited 10th European crown during his years in midfield.
Alonso also began his coaching career at Real’s academy, managing the Under-14 side to league and tournament success in the 2018-19 season, before progressing to Real Sociedad’s reserve team and then Bayer Leverkusen.
