Manchester United is set to face Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce, now under the management of Jose Mourinho, as part of their eight matches in the revamped Europa League group stage, following the draw held in Monaco on Friday.
The Old Trafford team previously secured the Europa League
title with Mourinho at the helm in 2017. Mourinho has recently taken charge of
Fenerbahce, who were eliminated from the Champions League in the third
qualifying round.
Additionally, United will host Rangers, the 2022 Europa
League runners-up, and travel to Portugal to compete against Porto, another of
Mourinho’s former clubs. Tottenham Hotspur, the other English team in the
tournament, will also face Rangers, but in an away match.
Ange Postecoglou’s squad will play at home against Roma and
visit Istanbul to challenge Turkish champions Galatasaray. This season, the
Europa League format has been revised, mirroring changes made to the Champions
League.
The competition now features 36 teams, all organized into a
single league divided into four seeded pots. Each team will play eight matches,
facing two opponents from each pot, with one match at home and one away.
The top eight teams at the conclusion of the league phase,
which lasts until the end of January, will progress to the round of 16, while
those finishing ninth to 24th will enter a play-off round to determine the
remaining spots in the last 16.
The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated, with no clubs
relegated to the Conference League prior to the knockout stage, and no teams
descending from the Champions League as seen in previous seasons.