Football
ESPN staff 7y

Manchester United to face Rostov in Europa League round of 16

Manchester United have been drawn against Russian club Rostov in the Europa League round of 16, with Jose Mourinho saying it is a "bad" draw for his side.

United, who completed a 4-0 aggregate win over St Etienne on Wednesday, exited at the round-of-16 stage in their two previous Europa League appearances, losing to Athletic Bilbao in 2011-12 and Liverpool last season.

Should Mourinho's side win the competition this season, they would become only the fifth club to win all three major European trophies, after Ajax, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Juventus.

Rostov, currently seventh in the Russian Premier League, defeated Sparta Prague in the round of 32.

Mourinho told his news conference on Friday that the draw is "bad in every aspect -- it is far and it is difficult, and comes in a bad period for us."

Dmitry Kirichenko, Rostov's coach, told his club's official website: "Man United are probably the strongest opponent we could have got. It's great that Rostov fans will see so many top clubs in the same season. There will be no problems getting information about United. We'll prepare, fight and show character. We'll do everything possible to get a positive result."

Sergey Andreev, the former USSR striker who played for Rostov in the 1980s, told Sport Express: "I am very happy! First Bayern and Atletico, and now United. When could that happen again? In two million years?

"I am jealous of the players who will play at Old Trafford, because I didn't have a chance to play there. Nothing is impossible. They are not United of Beckham, Scholes and Ferguson. A good team, but not the same. Our three central defenders, Navas, Mevlja and Granat, will make Zlatan's life very difficult".

Among the other ties, Schalke will play fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, while Ligue 1 club Lyon take on Italian giants Roma.

"It's a difficult draw," Lyon coach Bruno Genesio said. "They're a team that has experience of European competition. Roma are one of the best teams in the competition. The draw is what it is. It's now up to us to prepare ourselves well. If we want to go all the way, you have to play the big ones."

The all-German meeting between Schalke and Gladbach sees Bundesliga teams clash in Europe for the first time since the 2013 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

"I wouldn't call it a dream draw," Schalke coach Markus Weinzierl told reporters. "It does not feel like an international match, but at least it's only a short trip."

Sporting executive Christian Heidel added: "It doesn't feel like the Europe League. We are looking forward to two thrilling games regardless but would have loved to travel a bit further."

For Gladbach, the draw means they will play only two teams -- Schalke and Hamburg -- over a run of five games in 16 days in early March. They play both teams in the league and take on Hamburg in the DFB Pokal.

The first legs will take place on March 9, with the return ties seven days later.

Ian Holyman and Michael Yokhin contributed to this report

^ Back to Top ^