MANCHESTER UNITED have the chance to avenge last season’s Europa League final defeat after drawing Villarreal in the Champions League group stage.
The Spaniards beat the Red Devils in May with a thrilling penalty shootout to clinch their first-ever major trophy.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be eager to make amends when he butts heads with Unai Emery again.
But United also face tricky games against impressive Italian side Atalanta and perennial Swiss champions Young Boys.
And the Red Devils will need to utilise every part of their expensive squad to ensure they reach the last 16, having crashed out of the group stage last year.
United know all about Villarreal after their heartbreaking Europa League final defeat, with star man Gerard Moreno still leading the line after penning a new long-term deal.
However, Emery’s men have drawn their first two games of the new LaLiga campaign without scoring a single goal.
And with £40million defender Raphael Varane in their ranks, United will also be hoping to keep the Yellow Submarine at bay.
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Meanwhile, Atalanta are looking to build on last season’s third-place finish in Serie A.
And they have already got off to a winning start this term despite letting goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and defender Cristian Romero join Tottenham.
Finally, Young Boys will prove to be no easy task after winning their fourth successive Swiss title last season.
When will the Champions League group stage matches be played?
The Champions League group stage draw took place on Thursday afternoon and here is when the matches will take place…
Matchday one: 14/15 September
Matchday two: 28/29 September
Matchday three: 19/20 October
Matchday four: 2/3 November
Matchday five: 23/24 November
Matchday six: 7/8 December
But despite drawing the tricky trio, United fans were in confident mood on Twitter.
One wrote: “If we don’t qualify from this group, we might as well delete the club.”
Another said: “It’s not an easy group but we should be winning it.”
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One declared: “Not an easy group by any means but definitely winnable.
“Atalanta will be tough but we avoided the European elite.”
One added: “Man United should not bottle this! It’s an opportunity!”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
