Manchester United have been dealt a reunion with José Mourinho, who manages Fenerbahce, in this season’s revamped Europa League. Their remaining seven games include an enticing all-British clash at Old Trafford against Rangers, who will also face Spurs.
A visit to Istanbul will pit United against the manager who led them to success in this competition in 2017, when they defeated Ajax in the final. Mourinho was sacked the following year and, two jobs later, pitched up at Fenerbahce in June. He previously led a team against United during his stint at Spurs between 2019 and 2021.
Chelsea, in their maiden Conference League campaign, were given an eclectic set of opponents and will be required to make a 3,000-mile journey to Kazakhstan when they play Astana. The little-known Armenian team Noah are among those who will visit Stamford Bridge.
The big-ticket ties, though, were in Uefa’s secondary competition. Dan Ashworth, United’s sporting director, relished the thought of doing battle with Mourinho. “He’s an outstanding coach. It’s always going to be a tough place to go, and we know that team will be well coached,” he said. “We know that Rangers at home is going to be an interesting game for us as well.”
As with the previous day’s new-look Champions League draw, the Europa League ceremony presented a sprawling set of fixtures to kick off this new era for European football. The old group stage has been replaced by a single 36-team table in which each side faces eight different opponents, four each at home and away. The top eight teams will progress automatically to the knockout stage and the following 16 will face a playoff round in February. Only the bottom 12 will be automatically eliminated when the league phase concludes in January.
Ashworth admitted the bloated fixture list may bring challenges. “There’s an extra two games minimum, and potentially more, so it’s the same for all the teams in the group,” he said. “The intensity of the Premier League and the two domestic cup competitions that we have does add a little more … but we will be well equipped, we’re pleased with the squad and we’re ready to go.”
Beyond that, eyes will be drawn to the dates of Rangers’ meetings with Premier League opponents when the schedule is confirmed on Saturday. Rangers last met United in the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League; their last competitive matches with Spurs, who they will host, were back in the 1962-63 Cup Winners’ Cup.
United will also host PAOK, Bodø/Glimt and FC Twente as they try to improve on their last Europa League showing, which ended at the quarter-final stage against Sevilla two seasons ago. As well as the trip to Fenerbahce they will travel to face Porto, Viktoria Plzen and the Romanian club FCSB.
Spurs, returning to the Europa League for the first time since their last-16 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in 2021, will meet Roma, AZ, Qarabag and Elfsborg in north London. Their fans can await journeys to Ferencvaros, Galatasaray and Hoffenheim along with the trip to Glasgow.
Rangers will dream of at least emulating their runs to the finals in 2008 and 2022, which they lost to Zenit St Petersburg and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively. Beyond navigating United and Spurs they will play Lyon, Union Saint-Gilloise and FCSB at home while journeying to Olympiakos, Malmö and Nice.
Chelsea, who areat odds with Uefa over its position that clubs are not allowed to raise income by selling assets to sister companies and may be at risk of sanction, face a new set of adventures . The Conference League has been restructured similarly to its siblings, with the difference that teams will play six times in the league phase. They will greet Gent, Shamrock Rovers and Noah in west London while Panathinaikos and Heidenheim join Astana in providingas away tests.
The New Saints, who have made history by becoming the first domestic Welsh side to reach this stage, face the enticing prospect of a trip to Fiorentina and will also host Astana. The Northern Irish club Larne, who will be the first Irish Premiership side to compete in the group phase of a European competition, will host Shamrock Rovers in a cross-border derby. Hearts’ most appealing tie is a trip to FC Copenhagen.
