BREAKING NEWS: According to the Europa League draw, Manchester United has been placed in a group with three of Europe’s strongest teams. This could potentially jeopardize our chances of advancing in the tournament.

Manchester United will soon find out their opponents for the Europa League group stage as the final play-off matches for both the Europa League and Champions League conclude this week. These play-offs will determine the last group of 36 teams for the revamped competition format, which involves a single league table.

United, having missed out on this competition last year, are among the favourites to win the Europa League, a title they have yet to claim.

Their chances may be boosted by the absence of any relegated Champions League teams in the knockout rounds, should they progress that far. However, before reaching the knockouts, United will need to navigate eight group stage matches—four at home and four away—against a mix of well-known clubs and lesser-known teams.

For the draw, Manchester United will be in Pot 1, earning top seeding as the second-highest-ranked team based on UEFA’s coefficient. In the group stage, they will face two teams from each pot but cannot be drawn against fellow English club Tottenham Hotspur, who are also in the competition. They are also limited to facing a maximum of two teams from any other single country.

Teams in Pot 1, alongside United, include Roma, Porto, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Lazio. Possible opponents from Pot 2 include Olympiacos and Lyon. Additionally, clubs like Real Sociedad and AZ could be drawn from Pot 1 or Pot 2. Potential Pot 3 and Pot 4 opponents include Malmo, Athletic Club, Hoffenheim, and Nice, as well as several other teams still in contention from play-off matches.

Other teams whose pots will be confirmed later include Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Dynamo Kyiv, Red Star Belgrade, Ajax, and Lille, among others. These clubs will complete the list of possible opponents for United in the group stage.

The dates for the Europa League group-stage matches have already been set, though the specific timing for each fixture will be confirmed by UEFA on Saturday. The group stage will begin with Matchday 1 on September 25-26, 2024, and run through to Matchday 8 on January 30, 2025.