Who will Manchester United face in Europa League semi-finals?
KEY POINTS
- United are two games away from reaching the final in Sweden.
- Marcus Rashford's goal secured 2-1 win over Anderlecht at Old Trafford.
- Jose Mourinho's side progressed 3-2 on aggregate.
- Ajax, Celta Vigo or Lyon await them in Friday's semi-final draw.
While a daring victory over Chelsea in the Premier League keeps their hopes of a top-four finish alive, Manchester United's priority for the rest of the season is still to win the Europa League.
After leaving Belgium with a 1-1 draw last week, United needed extra time before Marcus Rashford produced another moment of exquisite skill to continued his storied rise at Old Trafford. His goal sealed a narrow 2-1 win on the night - good enough to send his side through 3-2 on aggregate.
That win puts their name in the hat for the next round with the draw for semi-finals taking place on Friday (21 April) at 12pm [BST] with Ajax, Lyon and Celta Vigo lying in wait as possible opponents.
Compared to recent years, the pool of teams left standing at the final four stage is considerably weaker. You can include United in that, but there isn't a team remaining that Jose Mourinho will feel his side cannot beat.
A League Cup win and qualification for next season's Champions League will equal a job well done after his first season at Old Trafford. But they aren't there yet.
Best possible scenario - Celta Vigo?
Of the remaining teams, United are the highest ranked club in Uefa's coefficient rankings which rank each side on their performances in European competition over the past five seasons. By that measure, Celta Vigo represent United's best possible option, ranked the lowest of the remaining sides in 57th place.
The La Liga side took a narrow 3-2 victory to Belgium on Thursday night, with a 1-1 draw at Genk securing their place in the final four. What might pose a concern, however, is that Celta are cruising to a comfortable mid-table finish domestically, meaning they can focus the remainder of their season on upsetting United.
Worst possible scenario - Lyon?
With a Uefa coefficient ranking of 25th, Lyon represent the highest-ranked side that United can be paired with. Their second-leg clash at Besiktas saw a repeat of the 2-1 home victory in France last week, forcing the tie to a penalty shootout. Bruno Génésio's team held their nerve, progressing 7-6 from the spot.
With 30 goals in 40 appearances this season, in Alexandre Lacazette they have the most potent goalscorer remaining in the competition. An old face could also come back to haunt Mourinho, should a trip to the the Parc Olympique Lyonnais beckon.
Memphis Depay became the forgotten man in Manchester under the Portuguese coach. Since his January move to France, however, the Netherlands starlet has scored five times and provided four assists in his 12 Ligue 1 appearances.
That is exactly the sort of output United were hoping for when they brought Depay to the club from PSV Eindhoven in 2014 - only for him to flop. Now they will be hoping to stay out of his crosshairs.
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