Facing an underdog, can Man Utd continue in the Europa League?

Mourinho and his team avoided tough opponents and will face AS Saint-Etienne while Tottenham face Belgian club Gent.

Europa League round of 16 draw results. Photo: Europa League.

Man Utd finished second in Group A, behind Fenerbahce, and were unseeded in the Europa League round of 16 draw. Therefore, the Premier League representative could face Group E winner AS Roma, Group J winner Fiorentina or Lyon, one of the four teams relegated from the Champions League.

However, Mourinho and his team will only have to face AS Saint-Etienne, a team playing in Ligue 1 and advancing as group C winners. In the 1977-1978 season, Man Utd defeated Saint-Etienne 3-1 in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. That was also the only time the two teams met in the European Cup.

Notably, Saint-Etienne's squad includes the brother of Paul Pogba, the player Man Utd spent $130 million to recruit last summer, a defender.Florentin Pogba. This player born in 1990 plays forSaint-Etienne since 2012 and has made 50 appearances for the club.

In addition, Paul Pogba also had the opportunity to meet his old friend Jordan Veretout, who is currently on loan at Saint-Etienne from Aston Villa. Veretout was Paul Pogba's teammate when they were both on the French team that won the U20 World Cup in Türkiye in 2013.

Pogba had the chance to reunite with his brother in the Europa League. Photo: Reuters.

The remaining Premier League representative in the Europa League, Tottenham, will face Belgian club Gent. Tottenham currently has three Belgian internationals in their squad: Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele. Another notable match is the clash between Villarreal and AS Roma, two teams considered to be title contenders. Another Serie A representative, Fiorentina, will face Monchengladbach, who have been relegated from the Champions League.

The remaining matches in the Europa League round of 16 include: Athletic Bilbao vs. Apoel FC, Legia Warsaw vs. Ajax, Anderlecht vs. Zenit St. Petersburg, Astra Giurgiu vs. Genk, Ludogorets vs. FC Copenhagen, Celta Vigo vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, Olympiakos vs. Osmanlispor, Rostov vs. Sparta Prague, Krasnodar vs. Fenerbahce, AZ Alkmaar vs. Lyon, Hapoel Beer Sheva vs. Besiktas and PAOK vs. Schalke.

According to VNE