Jose Mourinho on facing Fenerbahce and Feyenoord: "It's a big match to play in Istanbul as it is in Rotterdam - it's good for us."
Jose Mourinho on facing Fenerbahce and Feyenoord: "It's a big match to play in Istanbul as it is in Rotterdam - it's good for us."
WHO ARE ZORYA?
Great question - and not one too many people in the UK will be able to give you a good answer to. Their full name is Zorya Luhansk and they're making their Europa League debut this season after missing out in the play-offs in each of the last two campaigns.
Zorya have actually faced Feyenoord before, losing 5-4 to them on aggregate in the play-off round in 2014/15. Although they don't have much European pedigree, their results so far have certainly been respectable and they will be awkward opponents.
Zorya are based in the east of Ukraine close to the border with Russia but because of the war in that part of the country, Jose Mourinho's side are set to play them at the Slavutych Arena inZaporizhia, which is more centrally located.
EUROPA LEAGUE ODDS
Manchester United head Sky Bet's revised Europa League market at 6/1, with Roma 9/1 clear second-favourites ahead of four teams at 16/1 including Fiorentina and Inter Milan.
HAPPY MEMORIES FOR WAYNE
Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will be hoping to recapture the kind of form he showed when he last facedFenerbahce at Old Trafford. Remember he scored a hat-trick on hisManchester United debut against the Turks in September 2004.
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THE ROAD TO STOCKHOLM...
That's right, there will be a European final taking place in Sweden this year! The Europa League decider will take place at the stunning 50,653-seat Friends Arena in the Stockholm suburb of Solna. It's already hosted the final of the UEFA Women's Euro in 2013 and the last match of this competition takes place on May 24.
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EUROPA MATCH DATES
Of course, the match calendar in the Europa League follows a similar schedule to that in the Champions League. That means the opening fixtures are on September 15, with further games taking place on September 29, Ocotber 20, November 3, November 24 and December 8.
ENGLISH CLUB POSITIONS
Manchester United would rather have been in the Champions League but their European pedigree ensures they are one of the favourites to win the competition, especially under new managerJose Mourinho and with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba still in tow. The Reds are alongside the likes of Schalke, Athletic Bilbao, Inter, Fiorentina and Villarreal in the pot of first seeds.
Southampton are involved in the competition for the second year in a row and they've already gone one step further after going out to Danish side FC Midtjylland in the qualifiers last season. They're in pot three beside the likes of Rapid Vienna, Celta Vigo andFeyenoord.
15 September 2016
19:00
Feyenoord https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rlands.svg.png 1–0 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ngland.svg.png Manchester United Vilhena https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 79' Report
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Attendance: 31,000[10]
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (Spain)
15 September 2016
19:00
Chornomorets Stadium, Odessa[A]
Zorya Luhansk https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...kraine.svg.png 1–1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Turkey.svg.png Fenerbahçe Hrechyshkin https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 52' Report Kjær https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 90+5'
Attendance: 16,000[11]
Referee: István Kovács (Romania)
15 September 2016
19:00
Young Boys https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...erland.svg.png 0–1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Greece.svg.png Olympiacos Report Cambiasso https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 42'
Stade de Suisse, Bern
Attendance: 11,132[12]
Referee: Serhiy Boyko (Ukraine)
15 September 2016
19:00
GSP Stadium, Nicosia
APOEL https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Cyprus.svg.png 2–1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...khstan.svg.png Astana Vinícius https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 75'
de Camargo https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 87'Report Maksimović https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 45+1'
Attendance: 12,008[13]
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia)
15 September 2016
19:00
Mainz 05 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ermany.svg.png 1–1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...France.svg.png Saint-Étienne Bungert https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 57' Report Berić https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 88'
Opel Arena, Mainz
Attendance: 20,275[14]
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)
15 September 2016
19:00
Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht
Anderlecht https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...vil%29.svg.png 3–1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...baijan.svg.png Gabala Teodorczyk https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 14'
Rafael https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 41' (o.g.)
Capel https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 77'Report Dabo https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._shade.svg.png 20'
Attendance: 11,638[15]
Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)