Reaction to Europa League draw (2024)

Arsenal will play Sporting Lisbon in the last 16 of the Europa League. Manchester United’s reward for beating La Liga leaders Barcelona in the play-off round is a game against Real Betis, who are fifth. The ties will take place on 9 and 16 March.

West Ham United, meanwhile, will play Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League.

So, after all that excitement at the House of European Football in Nyon, here are the draws for the Europa League and Europa Conference League in full.

Europa League last 16 draw

• Union Berlin vs Union Saint-Gilloise
• Sevilla vs Fenerbahce
• Juventus vs Freiburg
• Bayer Leverkusen vs Ferencvaros
• Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal
• Manchester United vs Real Betis
• Roma vs Real Sociedad
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs Feyenoord

Europa Conference League last 16 draw

• AEK Larnaca vs West Ham
• Fiorentina vs Sivasspor
• Lazio vs AZ Alkmaar
• Lech Poznan vs Djurgardens
• Basel vs Slavan Bratislava
• Sheriff vs Nice
• Anderlecht vs Villarreal
• Gent vs Istanbul Basaksehir

The West Ham supporters will be very happy with a trip to Larnaca for their last 16 draw.

A trip to Cyprus — with an excellent chance of a victory — can never be sniffed at.

Sitting 18th in the Premier League, it is important that West Ham fans enjoy the European trips while they still can.

As for the football side of it, AEK Larnaca are top of the Cypriot table and are hoping to keep APOEL at arm's length in their pursuit of a first ever First Division title.

They beat Dnipro-1 by a single goal over two legs to progress into the last 16.

• AEK Larnaca vs West Ham
• Fiorentina vs Sivasspor
• Lazio vs AZ Alkmaar
• Lech Poznan vs Djurgardens
• Basel vs Slavan Bratislava
• Sheriff vs Nice
• Anderlecht vs Villarreal
• Gent vs Istanbul Basaksehir

Here we go.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Seeded teams

• Istanbul Basaksehir
• West Ham
• Villarreal
• Nice
• AZ Alkmaar
• Djurgarden
• Sivasspor
• Slovan Bratislava

Unseeded teams

• Gent
• Basel
• Lazio
• Lech
• Fiorentina
• AEK Larnaca
• Sheriff
• Anderlecht

The second UEFA draw of the day is coming up in five minutes.

The 16 teams left in the Europa Conference League will learn their fates, West Ham are the only English side in the competition.

Their struggles in the Premier League mean that they might not be as focused on European success as they would be usually.

Although, they will hope to have moved out of relegation zone by the time their Conference League last 16 tie rolls around.

This is the first time Manchester United have been drawn against Real Betis – they are the 12th different Spanish team Manchester United will have faced in European competition, a club record.

Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini will be familiar with Manchester-based football having taken City to the Premier League title in 2013-14.

In Europe he has faced United four times — all of them as Villarreal manager — and incredibly all four games ended goalless. Two in the 2005-06 Champions League group stage followed by another pair in 2008-09.

Betis' only win against an English side came against Chelsea back in November 2005.

The other meeting between the sides came in 2018-19 in the Europa League – Danny Welbeck gave Unai Emery’s team a 1-0 win at the Estádio José Alvalade.

That was followed up with a goalless draw at the Emirates in the second leg, with Emile Smith Rowe making only his fifth appearance for the club.

As with the Fairs Cup in 1970, Arsenal followed up their tie with Sporting by reaching the final of this competition, only to lose 4-1 to Chelsea.

(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)

Not all Betis supporters are daunted by today’s draw.

“United are a great team, but they better say their prayers, as they’ve drawn Betis,” club legend Rafael Gordillo just told Radio Marca.

Those of you old enough to remember the Fairs Cup may recall the meetings between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon, although they were played more than 50 years ago!

The two teams first met in the 1969-70 Fairs Cup (not a UEFA competition but still a trophy of note). A 0-0 in Portugal in the first leg of the second round was backed up by a 3-0 win at Highbury nearly a month later.

Arsenal would go on to win the competition, one of only two European trophies in their trophy cabinet.

Marcus Edwards spent 13 years of his life as a Tottenham Hotspur player, but he made just one senior appearance for the club.

He now plays his football at Sporting Lisbon and has been mightily impressive this season.

His performances against Spurs in the Champions League, in particular, brought about links with a Premier League move but he remains in Portugal.

Now, a two-legged tie against Arsenal awaits Edwards and his Sporting team mates — how we would love to knock them out!