Stephen Dunmoye



Manchester United have been given a tough draw in the group stages of the 2022-23 Europa League.

United finished sixth in the Premier League last season, which made them missed out on Champions League football this season.

Man Utd entered into Friday’s draw with Arsenal, who will battle against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s PSV Eindhoven.



Erik ten Hag’s side were drawn in Group E, to face Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia, standing in their way of advancing to the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will battle it out in Group A alongside PSV, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich.

The draw means Van Nistelrooy will return to face Arsenal after he enjoyed a fierce rivalry during his five-year spell as a player at United, the height of which occurred when he missed a penalty against Arsenal in 2003, a significant event in the north London club’s “Invincible” season.

However, Jose Mourinho will face off again with Manuel Pellegrini when Conference League winners Roma take on Real Betis in Group C. Mourinho infamously replaced Pellegrini at Madrid in 2010, and the pair have clashed since then, both in LaLiga and when Mourinho’s Chelsea pipped Pellegrini’s Manchester City to the Premier League title in 2015.

The group stages of this season’s Europa League will take place from Sept. 8 to Nov. 3, finishing weeks before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The knockout stages will begin on Feb. 16, 2023, with the final scheduled to be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on May 31, 2023.