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Football

26th Feb 2016

The Europa League last-16 draw has thrown up the explosive tie everyone wanted

Nooruddean Choudry

Bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester United will face each other in an explosive Europa League last 16 tie.

The two giants of English football are both struggling outside the Champions League spots in the Premier League, and may need to win Europe’s ‘B’ competition in order to qualify for next year’s elite tournament.

United were rewarded for their 5-1 spanking of FC Midtjylland on Thursday with a first leg trip to Anfield on Thursday, March 10.

United have won both Premier League encounters between the two teams this season, beating the Reds 3-1 at Old Trafford and 1-0 at Anfield in January.

Meanwhile, title challengers Spurs face a tough test against Borussia Dortmund, who triumphed 3-0 on aggregate against Porto in the last round.

The full draw looks like this:

Shakhtar Donetsk v Anderlecht
FC Basel v Sevilla
Villarreal v Bayer Leverkusen
Athletic Bilbao v Valencia
Liverpool v Manchester United
Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham
Sparta Prague v Lazio
Fenerbahce v Braga

The first legs of all the matches will take place on Thursday March 10, with the second legs a week later on Thursday March 17.

The final of this year’s competition will be held at Basel’s St. Jakob Park, with the winner earning a place in next season’s Champions League.

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