Manchester United know that, regardless of their result against Real Sociedad in their final Europa League group stage match on Thursday night, they will be progressing to the knockout stages of the competition.
The Reds' 3-0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol last week ensured that United would not be falling into the Europa Conference League this season, and instead guaranteed themselves a top two finish in Group E. United travel to Spain on Thursday knowing anything less than a two-goal victory margin over their LaLiga opposition will see them finish second in their group thanks to their opponent's superior goal difference.
Ahead of the crucial tie at the Reale Arena, MEN Sport has taken a look at how the Europa League knockout stages work and who Erik ten Hag's side could be playing next.
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What happens if Manchester United win Group E?
As mentioned above, to finish top of Group E, United must beat Real Sociedad by a margin of two or more goals. Anything less than that will see the Reds finish second.
If Ten Hag's men manage to complete this feat, they will advance automatically to the round of 16 in this year's competition and they will avoid other teams that finished top of their Europa League groups. Round of 16 fixtures will be played on March 9 before the return leg takes place on March 16.
What happens if Manchester United finish second in Group E?
Should United finish second, they will enter the Europa League play-off round. This would see the eight runners-up in the Europa League group stages take on the third-placed sides in the Champions League.
United will be guaranteed of playing the second leg in the play-off stage at home. The play-offs will be played on February 16 before the return leg on February 23.
Who could Manchester United play in the play-offs?
Most notably, the Reds could face off against Ten Hag's former side Ajax in the play-offs. The Reds' potential play-off opponents are:
- Ajax
- Barcelona
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Sevilla
- Sporting CP
- Juventus
- RB Salzburg
-
Shakhtar Donetsk
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