Liverpool meet Man Utd, Spurs battle Borussia Dortmund in Europa League last 16
Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | February 26, 2016
Premier League pair Manchester United and Liverpool will face each other in the Europa League last 16, while fellow English top-flight team Tottenham play Bundesliga big boys Borussia Dortmund.
The contest between these Northwest rivals is their first-ever meeting in a European club competition, and guarantees a Premier League presence in the Europa quarter-finals.
Coral have moved Man Utd out to 10/1 (from 9/1) in the outright Europa League betting as a result of this draw with their Anfield opponents also lengthened to the same price (15/2).
Premier League trio have tough assignments
While Jurgen Klopp’s current club the Reds prepare to do battle with Louis van Gaal’s men with the first leg on Merseyside on Thursday, March 10th, former side Borussia Dortmund tackle Spurs.
Mauricio Pochettino has his team challenging for the Premier League title, but now they face a trip to the Westfalenstadion before bringing BVB back to White Hart Lane on Thursday, March 17th.
Tottenham’s odds of winning the Europa League have now drifted considerably to 14/1 (from 15/2), while Dortmund retain their status as outright favourites at 4/1 (from 7/2).
String Spanish contingent also in action
Elsewhere in the Europa League last 16 draw, Ukrainian heavyweights Shakhtar Donetsk battle Belgian boys Anderlecht, Sparta Prague play Serie A side Lazio and Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce face Portuguese Primeira Liga outfit Braga.
Holders Sevilla (shortened slightly to 7/1 from 8/1) remain on course for a third successive Europa crown and play Swiss side Basel, while fellow La Liga notables Villarreal take on Bayer Leverkusen.
An all-Spanish affair between Basque bastions Athletic Bilbao and Gary Neville’s Valencia is another mouthwatering Europa League tie.
How Premier League trio reached round of 16
Injury-hit United had teenage debutant Marcus Rashford to thank, stepping in at the last minute to start and cover for Anthony Martial who hurt his hamstring in the warm-up, with two second-half goals contributing to a 5-1 romp over Midtjylland on the night and 6-3 victory on aggregate.
Juan Mata’s missed penalty didn’t matter to the Red Devils, who fell behind but then via Nikolay Bodurov’s own goal. Ander Herrera scored from the spot late on following another handball and Memphis Depay also struck late.
Liverpool, meanwhile, needed an early James Milner penalty to get past Bundesliga boys Augsburg in an otherwise uninspiring display from Klopp’s men, with the Anfield outfit edging through this tie 1-0.
Spurs made home advantage over Serie A side Fiorentina count, coping without star striker Harry Kane just fine, thanks to strikes from Ryan Mason and Erik Lamela plus Gonzalo Javier Rodriguez’s own goal.
Europa League last 16 draw in full
Shakhtar Donetsk v Anderlecht
Basel v Sevilla
Villarreal v Bayer Leverkusen
Athletic Bilbao v Valencia
Liverpool v Manchester United
Sparta Prague v Lazio
Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham
Fenerbahce v Braga
Ties to be played on Thursday, March 10th (first leg) and March 16th (second leg).
Related
For more Europa League content, check out Coral’s dedicated section.
