Following the Champions League draw, the teams competing in the Europa League discovered their opponents for the last-32 with both French and Spanish sides facing interesting encounters.
Lille v Ajax
France’s sole representative in the Europa League, Lille, have a tough assignment in the first knockout round when they face Ajax for the first time in this competition after being in the same Champions League group last year.
The last meetings saw the Dutch side win 2-0 in France before putting three goals past their opponents in the return game.
By finishing second in their group behind AC Milan, who they beat 3-0 at San Siro, Lille reached the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2011, where they were knocked out by PSV Einhoven.
Ajax dropped into the second-tier competition for the second consecutive season as they finished third behind Liverpool and Atalanta and will look to go further having previously lost to Getafe at this stage in the 2019/20 campaign.
Domestically, Christophe Galtier’s men are flying. They sit top of Ligue 1 on goal difference above Olympique Lyonnais having lost just one match so far.
This is a top-of-the-table clash between Ligue 1 and Eredivisie, with Ajax top of the Dutch league after 12 matches – three points clear of PSV having scored 47 goals and conceded just seven.
Granada v Napoli
This will be the first competitive match between these two sides after they both enjoyed similar group stages.
Granada missed out on top spot to PSV, after a draw against PAOK on the final day, but their place in the knockout round was effectively secured two weeks later when they earned back-to-back wins over AC Omonia.
Led by Gennaro Gattuso, Napoli were also indebted to consecutive victories against the bottom side in their group before they eventually won the group by holding Real Sociedad at the newly renamed Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
In Spain, Granada sit seventh after a narrow win at Elche and will look to repeat last season’s heroics when they achieved European qualification for the first time.
Napoli are third in Serie A, four points behind leaders AC Milan, and are the only side in the league not to have drawn a game this season after edging Sampdoria at the weekend.
Real Sociedad v Manchester United
This Spanish and English side last met in the Champions League group stage in 2013/14.
The first encounter in Spain resulted in a goalless draw before an early Ignacio Martinez own goal gave United a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Sociedad reached this stage after an injury-time Willian José strike earned them a point at Napoli which saw them pip AZ Alkmaar to second and will hope to go further than last year when they lost to Red Bull Salzburg at this stage.
Despite an opening day victory at Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United ended up finishing third in their Champions League group behind the French side and Leipzig, having also suffered the same fate last year and went on to reach the semi-finals.
Level at the top of La Liga and second on goal difference alone, Sociedad are enjoying a brilliant start to the season thanks in part to former Manchester City star David Silva. The Spaniard is in fine form this season and will be a major threat to his former Manchester rivals.
Manchester United have been inconsistent so far in the Premier League with only five points won at Old Trafford. Their form on the road has been the best in the league so far this season, having claimed a maximum 15 points, but they only find themselves eighth.
RB Salzburg v Villarreal
Salzburg and Villarreal have met twice before in the Europa League, in 2009/10 and 2014/15 with both sides having claimed two wins apiece.
The first meetings took place in the group stage with the Austrian side earning six points without conceding a goal before Villarreal earned revenge in the round of 32 in 2015.
Jesse March’s men entered the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, looking to go one better than last year where they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt at this stage.
Villarreal secured their place in the knockout round after an unbeaten group stage, finishing first ahead of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, as they look to repeat their run to the quarter-finals in 2018/19.
In the Austrian Bundesliga the Red Bull outfit lead the way, two points clear of LASK who they beat 3-1 in their last outing.
Over in Spain, the Yellow Submarine are fourth having lost just one game after a draw at Real Betis on Sunday.
