UPDATE: Ignore most of the bellow because all you need to know is that it's Liverpool vs Man United in the last 16 of the Europa League. Spurs vs Dortmund is a bit of a belter as well.
Liverpool squeaked through, United looked like they might actually be going out only for a healthy gloss to be painted over their problems with last night's 5-1 victory over Midtjylland. Spurs meanwhile, were the most impressive of the English sides, dispatching Fiorentina with very little fuss over the two legs.
The first to to say is that there's no Gianni Infantino this time around, he's at some election thing, but this guy is here and he seems like a thoroughly decent chap.
Now there's 16 teams left and, it must be said that at today's draw in Nyon, there's very few 'easy ties' to keep an eye on. Aside form the English sides, the likes of Dortmund, Sevilla, Bilbao and Leverkusen all head into the draw with serious hopes of progressing through the competition with that added incentive of a Champions League spot for the winners ensuring that there's quite a bit of added importance being placed on Europe's secondary competition.
Just 16 remain. They find out their fate in less than an hour...#UELdraw stream: https://t.co/y2Vk7pIcyx pic.twitter.com/G0y8LBN2ml
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 26, 2016
There's no country protection or seeding at this stage so it's pretty much a free for all with the games to be played on 10th and 17th of March.
Europa League Round of 16 Draw:
Jamie Carragher seem's happy.
Great Europa League draw for LFC, if we win happy days if we lose LVG will probably stay!!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 26, 2016
Then there's also this consideration.
2nd leg of United v Liverpool is on St. Patrick's Day, quiet night for the pubs. #lfc #MUFC
— Nathan Murphy (@nathanmurf) February 26, 2016
More to follow.
