[ad_1]
(Reuters) – Manchester United will face Spanish Granada in the Europa League quarter-finals, and Arsenal will face the team that eliminated Scottish champions Rangers in the round of 16, Slavia Prague, in their last eight meetings.
If United beat the Europa League rookies, they could rejoin the team they beat in the 2017 final, Ajax Amsterdam, in the last four.
But the Dutch champions must first negotiate their way to overcome the only Italian left in the competition, AS Roma, in their last eight draws.
There could be a reunion for Arsenal, if they advance to the quarterfinals, as they could face the winner of the quarterfinals between former Gunners coach Unai Emery’s Villarreal and Tottenham Hotspur’s conquerors Dinamo Zagreb. .
United, whose last trophy was their triumph in the 2017 Europa League, when coaching José Mourinho, eliminated AC Milan in the round of 16 thanks to a goal from Paul Pogba at the San Siro.
Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that it is the league position that gives a true indication of progress, with United second in the Premier League standings. However, a large chunk of fans will want the silverware to return to Old Trafford.
Under Emery’s tutelage, Arsenal finished outside the top four in 2018-19, with the Spanish manager sacked in November 2019 after overseeing a poor start to the following campaign.
Therefore, beating Dinamo Zagreb could bring an additional advantage for Emery and a chance to get revenge on Arsenal.
But Dinamo won’t be easy to convince, as Tottenham realized their danger when they bungled a two-goal lead in the first leg in Zagreb on Thursday, losing the return leg 3-0 after extra time to spark frenzied celebrations in the Croatian capital.
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
[ad_2]
