Manchester United have been drawn to play French side Saint-Etienne in the round of 32 draw for the Europa League.
It is a relatively kind draw and a short trip across the English Channel for the Reds, with the Ligue 1 side currently eighth this season. Les Verts finished top of the table in their Europa League group consisting of Anderlecht, Mainz and Azerbaijani side Gabala.
The clash will see the Pogba brothers reunited, with centre-back Florentin currently plying his trade for Christophe Galtier’s side, while Paul, of course, made his record-breaking return to Old Trafford this summer.
United and Saint-Etienne have European history, having faced each other back in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1977-78 season. On that occasion, the Reds progressed 3-1 on aggregate, with United’s ‘home’ leg played at Home Park in Plymouth after crowd violence in France.
The first leg will be played at Old Trafford on February 16 and the second leg sees United travel to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on February 22, which is on a Wednesday night. This is due to Les Verts’ rivals Lyon, who have dropped down to the Europa League and given priority in regards to their fixture list after placing higher that Saint-Etienne last season.
The second leg being on a Wednesday gives United a slight advantage, with the following weekend seeing United either facing City in the Manchester derby or playing in the EFL Cup final against Liverpool or Southampton at Wembley.
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