Manchester United’s 1-0 win against Real Sociedad on Thursday was not enough to earn Erik ten Hag’s side top spot in Group E – meaning the Red Devils will have to face a Champions League drop-out to advance in the tournament as a result.
Every team that finishes second in their Europa League group must face a club that has been eliminated from the Champions League in a play-off in order to progress to the last 16.
Manchester United needed to win by a margin of more than two goals in Spain and, despite getting off to the perfect start in the 17th minute thanks to Alejandro Garnacho’s smart strike, the Red Devils failed to find the net again.
Manchester United will face a Champions League drop-out in their Europa League play-off
Alejandro Garnacho’s goal in their 1-0 win against Real Sociedad was not enough to seal first
With Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea each advancing to the Champions League knockouts, United could face any of the eight third-place finishers in the competition, including the likes of European giants Barcelona, Ajax and Juventus.
The list also includes Europa League royalty Sevilla, who have won the competition six times in their history, as well as Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk and Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg.
With the Europa League knockout round play-off draw set to take place on November 7, Sportsmail has analysed the Champions League drop-outs and handed each side a difficulty rating.
Erik ten Hag could face the likes of Barcelona, Juventus or Ajax in the next round as a result
Ajax
Placed in a challenging Champions League group alongside Serie A leaders Napoli and Premier League giants Liverpool, Ajax’s odds of advancing in the tournament were always stacked against them.
Four successive defeats on the spin against Liverpool and Napoli ended all hopes of progressing, but the Dutch club’s league form continues to bear fruit as they mount yet another Eredivisie title pursuit.
Ajax’s squad may not have been enough to qualify for the Champions League knockouts, but it is still furnished with a glut of talented stars including Dusan Tadic, Steven Bergwijn and Manchester United summer transfer target Jurrien Timber.
Captain Dusan Tadic would relish the chance to lead Ajax against former manager Ten Hag
Above all, Ajax will no doubt relish the chance to face their former manager and make a statement to Ten Hag after his exit.
With over three months to wait ahead of the clash in February, the Dutch club will have plenty of time to stew over the fixture and will likely bring an edge with them should they face Ten Hag’s Red Devils.
Difficult rating: 7
Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen would present one of the kinder draws for United in the playoff, considering the German side’s woeful start to the campaign.
With two wins, three draws and seven defeats from their opening 12 Bundesliga fixtures, Leverkusen have been thrown into an uncomfortable relegation battle, miles off their usual high standards in recent seasons.
Xabi Alonso’s side sneaked into third in their Champions League group thanks to a 0-0 stalemate against Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid’s woeful defeat by Porto on Tuesday.
Bayer Leverkusen have endured a rotten start to the Bundesliga and are in a relegation battle
Yet, with forward trio Moussa Diaby, Patrik Schick and Callum Hudson-Odoi struggling for form, United would fancy their chances against the Bundesliga strugglers.
Unless Alonso significantly transforms the club by February, Ten Hag’s troops would head into the match-up as comfortable favourites.
Difficulty rating: 4
Barcelona
Barcelona’s exit from the Champions League no doubt came as a shock and largely because their form has been solid under Xavi this season.
The Catalan club were third-best in a difficult group with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Viktoria Plzen, who were simply making up the numbers in 2022-23 season’s group of death.
As soon as their elimination was confirmed, Barcelona instantly became Europa League favourites alongside in-form Arsenal and would thus be a nightmare match-up for Ten Hag’s side.
Man United do not want to come up against Barcelona’s in-form hitman Robert Lewandowski
Equipped with club stalwarts Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, talented youngsters Pedri and Gavi and marquee summer signings Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, Barcelona arguably boasts the best squad left in the Europa League.
One silver lining is that the Spanish giants have seemed to crumble in big matches so far this season, losing 3-1 in El Clasico and 3-0 to Bayern Munich last month, proving Xavi’s side have weaknesses that can be exploited, particularly in defence.
Difficulty rating: 9
Sporting Lisbon
Despite handing Spurs a tough time in Group D, Sporting Lisbon were perhaps fortunate to escape defeat thanks to the last-gasp VAR review against Tottenham and lost 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, who United would expect to beat.
Whilst a win against Sporting would not be a foregone conclusion, the Red Devils would be happy to draw the Portuguese side compared to the rest of the field, even if they have a couple of danger men amongst their ranks.
Although Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves have the ability to lead Sporting to an upset should they meet United, the rest of the side have struggled this season, with four defeats from their opening 11 league matches hampering a shot at the title.
Former Spurs winger Marcus Edwards has emerged a talisman for Sporting Lisbon this season
It’s important to note that Lisbon are by no means they easiest draw in the hat, but Ten Hag would likely be pleased at the prospect of Sporting alongside a handful of other Champions League drop-outs.
Of course, the match-up would set up a romantic return for Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who began his glorious career at the Portuguese club.
Difficulty rating: 5
Red Bull Salzburg
Yes, they’re Austrian champions. And yes, they’re leading the Bundesliga this campaign. But Red Bull Salzburg are another side Manchester United would expect to beat over two legs.
Salzburg twice put in a solid performance against Chelsea, firstly in the 1-1 draw during Graham Potter’s opening match in charge and secondly in the narrow 2-1 defeat last month, but the Austrian side were unable to avoid a pasting against Milan in midweek, losing 4-0.
Matthias Jaissle’s side also failed to beat bottom-place finishers Dinamo Zagreb away from home, a result which could have made their final match against the Italian champions far more interesting.
The Red Devils expressed interest in Red Bull Salzburg forward Benjamin Sesko this summer
With a youthful and sprightly team, including the likes of Junior Adamu and Red Devils summer target Benjamin Sesko, United would need to expect a lively and energetic encounter should the pair draw each other on Monday.
But with the experience and quality Manchester United have in their armoury, Ten Hag would be forgiven for favouring that match-up over many others in the draw.
Difficulty rating: 5
Shakhtar Donetsk
In truth, Shakhtar Donetsk finishing third in Group F is some achievement, considering the club has been ravaged by Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
The travelling club, who now play their home games in Poland, managed to carve out a win and three draws in their six matches against Real Madrid, Red Bull Leipzig and Celtic, including the famous 4-1 victory versus the Bundesliga side on the first matchday.
Even Real Madrid had hard time breaking Shakhtar’s spirit and needed a 95th-minute Antonio Rudiger goal to evade defeat last month.
Shakhtar Donetsk carved out a historic 4-1 victory against Red Bull Leipzig in early September
And with league matches being called off frequently as a result of the conflict, there’s every chance Shakhtar get some extra time off ahead of a match against Manchester United, who will no doubt face hefty fixture congestion in February.
That being said, the Ukrainian outfit lack the depth and quality possessed by the Red Devils by some clear distance, and Manchester United would be crazy to grumble at the prospect of a playoff against Shakhtar.
Difficulty rating: 5
Sevilla
In bygone years, Sevilla were the team everyone wanted to avoid during the knockout stages of the tournament.
With six Europa League gongs in the trophy cabinet, it would be hard to bet against the LaLiga outfit — but this is no ordinary season.
While their form could pick up by February, Sevilla have been woeful in all competitions so far this campaign, sitting in the LaLiga relegation zone on 10 points after the first 12 matches.
Jorge Sampaoli took charge at Sevilla after Julen Lopetegui’s woeful start to the campaign
Even in the Champions League, the Spanish club were rock bottom until their comprehensive 3-0 victory against Copenhagen a fortnight ago, which ultimately handed them third spot.
It will be interesting to see how Jorge Sampaoli fares at Sevilla following Julen Lopetegui’s exit, but at this stage it looks a very comfortable match-up for Manchester United.
Difficulty rating: 4
Juventus
It’s a toxic time in Turin at the moment, and with good reason.
Not long ago, Juventus were the juggernaut of Serie A and a Champions League contender every season, but now the Old Lady sit seventh in the top flight and have already crashed out of Europe’s top tournament.
No side third-place side recorded fewer points than Juventus (3) at the end of the group stage, so it would not be ridiculous to suggest that the Italian giants pose the easiest match-up for United.
Paul Pogba (left) has yet to feature for Juve this season but is expected to return by February
However, as February is over three months away, Juventus have plenty of time to nurse their injured superstars back to health, with Paul Pogba, Dusan Vlahovic, Gleison Bremer and Leandro Paredes all enduring spells n the treatment table.
Despite their rut of form, Max Allegri’s side are still rigged out with top talent across the pitch and Pogba will no doubt relish the opportunity to show up United once he lays the ghosts of missing the World Cup.
Difficulty rating: 7
