Manchester United will face Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals after successfully navigating their last-16 tie against Real Sociedad.
A 5-2 aggregate victory over the La Liga outfit sent the Red Devils through and kept their hopes of winning major silverware this season alive.
Read on as we look at the quarter-final draw and latest outright betting, before assessing which teams will progress to the last four.
Europa League 2024/25 – Quarter-final draw
Europa League 2024/25 – Outright betting
There is little to choose between the teams at the top of the outright market. The latest Europa League odds on fast withdrawal betting sites are as follows:
Europa League 2024/25 – Quarter-final preview
Although Man United have been inconsistent this season, the Europa League has provided some welcome respite from their domestic troubles.
The Red Devils went into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the Premier League, but found things a little easier against the Spanish side.
They deservedly saw off Sociedad’s challenge to leave manager Ruben Amorim satisfied about the way things are progressing in this competition.
“The performance was really good,” Amorim said. “I think the response has been great – it was a good week. We show a little bit of the future.
“We talk about the problems of the present and give a good exhibition to our fans to complete the week. We are learning about us, about different competitions, how to win games.
“Sometimes how to draw games, to win some points. So, it was a tough week, but a good week.”
Amorim’s side have been paired with Lyon in the quarter-finals. The Ligue 1 outfit defeated FCSB 7-1 on aggregate in the previous round.
They have been going reasonably well in the French top flight this season and will be a difficult obstacle for United to overcome.
“It’s big but I think it’s going to be a different game,” Amorim added. “Against Lyon is going to be a different game because the physicality is there.
“They play in the league that is so physical, like ours. It doesn’t have the same quality, but the physicality, so it is going to be a different game.
“We have to find the different ways of winning the games, and we are ready for that.”
The winners of the tie will face Athletic Bilbao or Rangers in the semi-finals. Athletic are the favourites to progress, but it would be foolish to write off Rangers.
Athletic finished one point ahead of United during the league phase, before defeating Roma 4-3 on aggregate in the previous round.
They are challenging for a top four spot in La Liga this term and have a squad capable of going all the way in this competition.
However, they would be well-advised not to underestimate Rangers, who edged past Fenerbahce in the last-16 following a tense penalty shoot-out at Ibrox.
Much like United’s season in the Premier League, the Gers have suffered numerous setbacks during a disappointing Scottish Premiership campaign.
They put their fans through an emotional wringer against Fenerbahce, spurning a 3-1 lead to allow their opponents back into the tie.
Jose Mourinho’s side should have had a penalty in extra-time, but the referee waved away the claims and VAR opted not to intervene in the incident.
While Rangers undoubtedly rode their luck, their collective spirit could cause Athletic plenty of problems in their quarter-final meeting.
Tottenham Hotspur will face a tough test of their Europa League credentials when they go head-to-head with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ange Postecoglou’s side defeated AZ Alkmaar 3-2 on aggregate to reach the last eight, but will need to improve if they want to go any further in the competition.
Eintracht’s 6-2 aggregate victory over Ajax was one of the most impressive results in the previous round and they will fancy their chances against Spurs.
Surprise package Bodo/Glimt’s reward for upsetting the odds against Olympiacos in the last-16 is an eye-catching quarter-final tie against Lazio.
The Serie A side finished top of the standings during the league phase, before being pushed hard by Viktoria Plzen in their first knockout tie.
A 3-2 aggregate victory secured their place in the quarter-finals and they are strongly fancied to avoid any slip-ups against the Norwegian side.
