The 2019/20 UEFA Europa League round of 32 draw has been made in Nyon with a few tough ties awaiting the Nigerian born stars in the competition.
Arsenal have been drawn to battle hard against Olympiacos for the right of passage to the next round. The English side made it to this phase thanks in no small part to Bukayo Saka, who netted twice and supplied four assists in four group stage matches.
One of the teenager’s goals came in the last group game at Standard Liege to inspire the Gunners to a 2-2 draw and help them qualify as group winners.
Elsewhere, the Club Brugge duo of David Okereke and Emmanuel Dennis found the going difficult against Real Madrid and PSG in the Champions League proper but are now billed to test their might against Manchester United.
Ole Gunner Solskjaer’s men delivered inconsistent displays during the group stage but signed off with a 4-0 thrashing of AZ Alkmaar. The Black-Blues’ Nigerian forwards would have to be at their goalscoring best to power the Belgian giants past the 2017 Europa League winners.
In another game, Joe Aribo and Rangers will look at Braga and see a winnable tie but should be careful of underrating the stubborn Portuguese side.
The Super Eagles midfielder played a key role as Steven Gerrard’s side made it out of a mean group that had Porto, Feyenoord and Young Boys. And more of the same winning mentality would be needed to get the better of the Minho Warriors.
Full Draw: Round of 32
Sporting CP v İstanbul Başakşehir
Ludogorets v Internazionale Milano
Eintracht Frankfurt v Salzburg
Shakhtar Donetsk v Benfica
Getafe v Ajax
Copenhagen v Celtic
CFR Cluj v Sevilla
Club Brugge v Manchester United
Wolves v Espanyol
Wolfsburg v Malmö
Roma v Gent
Rangers v Braga
Bayer Leverkusen v Porto
APOEL v Basel
Olympiacos v Arsenal
AZ Alkmaar v LASK
The first legs are scheduled for Thursday 20 February, with the second legs on 26 or 27 February.
The Final of this season’s Europa League is scheduled to be played at the magnificent Gdansk Stadium in Poland on May 27, 2020.
