The draw for the Europa League quarter-final and semi-final stages has just been completed and it has produced some interesting match-ups. Man Utd fans will have been watching this event closely in anticipation of their club's possible opponents, with the Red Devils receiving a favorable draw.
The Premier League giants have not yet confirmed their spot in the quarter-finals as the round of 16 hasn't been completed, but given their 5-0 lead over LASK heading into the 2nd leg, Solskjaer's men are all but guaranteed a ticket to the last eight. There they could face the winners of İstanbul Başakşehir vs Copenhagen. Given that the Turkish side boast a mere 1-0 advantage ahead of their trip to Denmark, both sides stand a respectable chance of progressing to the next round.
Leverkusen, also boasting a huge 3-1 lead from the 1st leg of their round of 16 tie, are the favorites to beat Rangers to a quarter-final berth. However, Friday's draw has handed them a curve ball as either Inter Milan or Getafe await them in the next round, should the Germans progress, that is.
Premier League outfit Wolves, having drawn 1-1 with Olympiakos in the first leg of their last-16 showdown, know that another tricky test awaits them should they eliminate the Greeks and progress to the next round. Nuno Espirito Santo's men could face either Sevilla or Roma in the next round, which will be no walk in the park for Traore and Co. Check out the results from the Europa League draw in full below.
Pic via Europa League's official Twitter account
Here are the UEL semi-final brackets
The final bracket for the Europa League is set.
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 10, 2020
Let the games begin pic.twitter.com/Bjh96RVGGn
The Europa League will be making its much-awaited return on August 5, with the eight round of 16 clashes set to wrap up the following day on August 8. UEFA have announced that the 2nd legs of the six games that have completed the first leg will be played at the home teams' stadiums. As for Getafe vs Inter Milan and Roma vs Sevilla, these ties have not started yet and will thus be played at a neutral venue, adhering to the newly-adopted single-leg format introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is how the UEFA Europa League round of 16 left off:
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Shakhtar Donetsk (2) vs (1) Wolfsburg (2-1)
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Leverkusen (3) vs (1) Rangers (3-1)
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Wolves (1) vs (1) Olympiacos (1-1)
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Manchester United (5) vs (0) LASK (5-0)
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Basel (3) vs (0) Frankfurt (3-0)
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Copenhagen (0) vs (1) İstanbul Başakşehir (0-1)
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Getafe vs Inter (yet to start)
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Roma vs Sevilla (yet to start)
Here's a quick reminder of the UEFA Europa League changes that were made due to the COVID-19 pandemic:
The venue
The two round of 16 ties that have not yet started (Inter vs Getafe and Sevilla vs Roma), the quarter-finals, and semi-finals will all be held in these four neutral German stadiums:
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Stadion Köln (Cologne)
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MSV Arena (Duisburg)
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Dusseldorf Arena (Düsseldorf)
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Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen)
The final will be held at Cologne's Stadion Köln.
Rule changes
Due to the coronavirus and the subsequent suspension of football earlier this year, time is not on UEFA's side. As a result, the competition has abandoned the two-legged format. Instead, the two round of 16 ties that have not yet started (Inter vs Getafe and Sevilla vs Roma), the quarter-finals, and semi-finals will all be single-leg ties, following a World Cup-esque straight-knockout format.
Additionally, the number of subs permitted per game has been increased from three to five for the remainder of the 2019/20 season. However, similar to Europe's domestic leagues, these changes can only be made at three points in the game (this does not include HT, end of regular time, and extra-time). Matchday squads have been increased to 23 players and teams are allowed to register three new players so long as they were eligible to play at a domestic level since February 3.
The 2019/20 Europa League key dates
August 5–6: Round of 16
