MANCHESTER UNITED secured qualification for this season’s Europa League despite a disappointing eight-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
The Red Devils capped off an underwhelming season on a high after lifting their 13th FA Cup and claiming their spot in Europe this term.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has backed Erik ten Hag over the summer and will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in his first full season in charge at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman has bolstered his squad with the likes of Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui all coming through the door.
PSG midfielder Manuel Ugarte is also on the verge of joining Man Utd for a huge fee of £51million.
Ten Hag will be aiming to lead the club to their first European trophy since the Red Devil’s Europa League triumph in 2016/17.
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SunSport takes a look at the competition’s new style and who the Manchester outfit could face…
What is the new Europa League 2024/25 format?
This year’s Europa League will feature just one league table of all 36 qualified clubs, unlike previous years which saw eight groups of four.
Each team will play eight matches, taking on two sides from each of the four pots, playing one match at home and the other away.
Clubs from the same country will not play each other and no team can face more than two opponents from the same country.
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During the draw, a club will be manually drawn out of the bowl and then said club’s eight fixtures will be revealed by Uefa’s automated software.
Following the conclusion of the eight league phase matches, the top eight will qualify directly to the last-16 while teams that finish 9th to 24th will contest in an additional play-off round and those who finish 25th to 36th are set to be eliminated from this season’s European competitions.
From the last-16, regular knockout rules will apply.
This is the same format which is being used for the Champions League and the Europa Conference League.
Who could Man Utd face in the Europa League draw?
Man Utd are in Pot 1 due to their Uefa coefficient ranking.
The Red Devils will play eight matches during the league phase, taking on two sides from each of the four pots, playing one match at home and the other away.
At this stage of the competition, Ten Hag’s men cannot face opponents from their own country, meaning Man Utd cannot meet Tottenham just yet.
The Red Devils can also play a maximum of two sides from any other country.
Here are the clubs Man Utd could draw from each of the four pots:
Pot 1: AS Roma, Porto, Ajax, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio, Slavia Prague.
Pot 2: Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, Braga, Olympiakos, Lyon, PAOK, Fenerbahce, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Ferencvaros.
Pot 3: Qarabag, Galatasaray, Viktoria Plzen, Bodo/Glimt, Union SG, Dynamo Kyiv, Ludogorets, Midtjylland, Malmo.
Pot 4: Athletic Club, Hoffenheim, Nice, Anderlecht, Twente, Besiktas, FK RFS, Steaua Bucharest, Elfsborg.
What TV channel is the Europa League draw 2024/25 on and can it be live streamed?
The 2024/25 Europa League draw will be broadcast LIVE on TNT Sports in the UK.
Subscription members of TNT can stream the entire action through discovery+
Alternatively, fans can find out who their teams will be drawn with through SunSport’s live blog.
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Can I watch the Europa League draw 2024/25 for FREE?
The Europa League draw will be broadcast for FREE on UEFA.com
TNT Sport’s official YouTube channel will also be airing the draw live from Monaco.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
