Manchester United and Tottenham have learned their possible Europa League last-16 opponents ahead of Friday’s draw.
The knockout play-off round concluded on Thursday, with the winners of the eight ties joining those who finished in the top eight of the league phase.
United, Spurs and the other 14 teams left in Europe’s second-tier competition will find out who they will face when UEFA conducts the draw at their headquarters in Nyon.
The Premier League sides will be placed in opposite halves of the bracket as a result of being paired together after United ended the league stage in third, a place ahead of Spurs.
It also meant they could be drawn against the same four opponents in the round of 16: AZ Alkmaar, Galatasaray, Real Sociedad and Midtjylland.
And following the conclusion of the play-offs, United and Spurs know they will face either AZ Alkmaar or Real Sociedad.
Manchester United finished third in the first phase of the Europa League and went unbeaten
Tottenham have also enjoyed a solid Europa League campaign and qualified with ease
Dutch side AZ Alkmaar overcame Galatasaray in their two-legged tie, while Real Sociedad edged past Danish club Midtjylland.
A 4-1 win in the first leg in Holland effectively sealed AZ’s spot in the last 16, which they sealed 6-3 on aggregate, while LaLiga outfit Real Sociedad beat Midtjylland 7-3 over the two legs.
Rangers, meanwhile, will take on either Fenerbahce or Bodo/Glimt.
United last played Real Sociedad in the group stage of the 2022-2023 Europa League, losing 1-0 at home and winning 1-0 in Spain.
Their most recent clashes with AZ Alkmaar came in the 2019-20 Europa League group stage, with a 0-0 draw in the Netherlands followed by a 4-0 United victory at Old Trafford.
Spurs beat Alkmaar 1-0 at home in the league phase of this year’s competition. They have never faced Real Sociedad in a competitive fixture.
The first leg of the round of 16 is due to take place on March 6 with the returns a week later. Both United and Spurs will be at home in the second leg.
Teams are now able to plot their potential route to the final as they can only play sides on their side of the bracket before the showpiece clash in Bilbao on May 21.
Unlike previous iterations of UEFA competitions, teams are no longer drawn against each other in the knockout stages. They are instead placed into one of two possible places in the bracket, which has been pre-determined based on their placing in the league phase.
