Man Utd face Real Sociedad in Europa League, Spurs draw AZ Alkmaar

Manchester United were handed a tricky Europa League last 16 tie against Real Sociedad while Tottenham Hotspur will play Dutch side AZ Alkmaar after the draw was held on Friday.

The two English sides have struggled in the Premier League this season, with Spurs 12th and United 15th, and winning the second-tier Europa League may be the only way they can return to the Champions League next season.

United and Spurs finished in the top four of the Europa League group stage to avoid the playoffs and will play their respective second legs at home.

United and Real Sociedad have met before in the Europa League, with the English side knocking them out in the last 32 in 2021 while they won a game each in the group stage in 2022.

The road to Bilbao 🤩#UELdraw | #UEL pic.twitter.com/0MfdMuQFel

— Uefa Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 21, 2025

Athletic Bilbao's San Mames Stadium will host the final in May and the Spanish side will play Serie A side AS Roma.

Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, who squeezed through to the playoffs in last place, knocked out Anderlecht with a 5-2 aggregate win after the second leg was briefly paused due to crowd trouble, and they will face Scottish side Rangers.

Should Fenerbahce reach the final, Mourinho could potentially face three of his former teams – Roma, United and Spurs.

German side Eintracht Frankfurt, who won the title in 2022, will face Eredivisie leaders Ajax Amsterdam while Greece's Olympiacos, who have the competition's top scorer in Ayoub El Kaabi (seven goals this season), take on Bodo/Glimt.

The Norwegian side are on a fairytale run in the Europa League where they overcame a 2-1 deficit against Twente in the playoff and won 5-2 in extra time on Thursday (6-4 on aggregate) to advance.

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 16

Viktoria Plzen v Lazio

Bodo/Glimt v Olympiacos

Ajax Amsterdam v Eintracht Frankfurt

AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham Hotspur

AS Roma v Athletic Bilbao

Fenerbahce v Rangers

Steaua Bucharest v Olympique Lyonnais

Real Sociedad v Manchester United

* Team mentioned second play return leg at home

EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

QF1: Bodo/Olympiacos v Plzen/Lazio

QF2: AZ/Spurs v Ajax/Frankfurt

QF3: Fenerbahce/Rangers v Roma/Bilbao

QF4: Bucharest/Lyon v Sociedad/United

* Team mentioned second play return leg at home

EUROPA LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

Semifinal 1: QF2 winners v QF1 winners

Semifinal 2: QF3 winners v QF4 winners

* Team mentioned second play return leg at home

FIRST AND SECOND LEG DATES

Last 16: March 6 and March 13

Quarterfinals: April 10 and April 17

Semifinals: May 1 and May 8

Final: May 21