- Teams found out who they would be facing in the Europa League round of 16 and learned their road to the final.
- Manchester United, who are currently struggling in the Premier League, are among the top contenders to lift the title.
- Lazio are currently the top contenders to win the title, according to the latest predictions from Opta's advanced computer model.
The Europa League knockout stage draw was finalized on Friday, completing the competition's bracket for the current season.
Manchester United will face Real Sociedad in the last 16 with the aim of redeeming a dismal season.
Opta's supercomputer has forecast the winner of this season's Europa League.
Are Manchester United favourites to win the Europa League?
Manchester United are experiencing difficulties in the Premier League. Currently, they occupy 15th position in the league standings, maintaining a 12-point cushion above the relegation zone.
They have lost 12 matches in the top English league and many experts predict that things will only get worse.
Interestingly, they are the only undefeated team in the Europa League. They finished third in the league phase with five wins and three draws in eight matches. Lazio and Athletic Bilbao finished ahead of them.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has set a challenging goal for the team in the Europa League.
"We can win it game by game, and you have the responsibility, regardless of the situation, to fight for trophies as a Manchester United player. We'll see what happens," he said in an interview with MEN.
At this point in the competition, anything is possible, and they can demonstrate that they have the capability to beat anyone on their best day. Therefore, we can consider the possibility of them winning the competition.
They share the same side of the draw as Athletic Bilbao and Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho.
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The Opta supercomputer has forecasted the winner of the Europa League.
After the draw of the round of 16, Opta's supercomputer has given Lazio a 20% probability of winning the competition following their nearly flawless campaign.
Athletic Bilbao, a team in Spain's top division, La Liga, has a 13.2% probability of winning the championship. They secured second place in the regular season.
Tottenham Hotspur, another team having a poor season, also have a 13.2% chance of winning. Italian side AS Roma have been given an 8.1% probability to take home the title.
"We had a good game, and it was exciting to see the draw today. They played well against Galatasaray, which is a tough opponent, and we also played them away. It's a good team, so we're looking forward to this match," Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said, as reported by Football London.
Manchester United, winners of the 2017 title, have a 7.3% chance. The Red Devils have performed much better in Europe than in the Premier League.
Olympique Lyon, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Sociedad, and Fenerbahce all have a 5% chance of winning the Europa League.
Arsenal were paired with PSV in the Champions League
The Champions League round of 16 draw was previously reported.
The defending champions, Real Madrid, will face Atletico Madrid, while Arsenal will face the Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.