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Manchester United secured their place in the last 16 of the Europa League last night by beating Bucharest outfit FCSB 2-0 in what was a rare routine victory.
The victory left United third in the overall table, which as we reported yesterday meant that their round of 16 opponents would be one of four teams, Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or FC Midtjylland.
Now that the draw for the playoffs has been completed, that four has been narrowed down to two possibilities, AZ or Gala.
The Red Devils’ record against the Turkish side is dead level. They have played each other eight times, with each team winning twice, and four draws.
Their most recent encounter was last season, when they met in the group stages of the Champions League. United lost the home tie 2-3 before drawing the away game 3-3.
Dutch side AZ have only faced United twice, home and away in the 2019 Europa League. The leg in Holland was a dull 0-0 stalemate, but the Red Devils romped home 4-0 at Old Trafford with goals from Ashley Young, Juan Mata and a brace from Mason Greenwood.
More to follow…
Feature image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images
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