Manchester United and Tottenham to face Rangers in Europa League

PA Sport Staff

Rangers will face both Manchester United and Tottenham in the first stage of the new-look Europa League.

United were also handed a reunion with their former manager Jose Mourinho at the hybrid draw in Monaco, where teams were pulled out of the pots by rank then each allocated opponents by the UEFA computer.

The revamped format sees all 36 teams forming a single league, with each entrant playing four home games and four away.

Scottish Premiership side Rangers were the first team drawn out of pot one, with the algorithm determining a home game against Spurs as well a trip to Old Trafford.

Lyon, Olympiacos, Union Saint-Gilloise, Malmo, Steaua Bucharest and Nice complete the initial Europa League fixtures for Philippe Clement’s side, with the full schedule to be confirmed by UEFA on Saturday.

United, also in pot one, were handed a trip to Turkish side Fenerbahce – managed by Mourinho.

The other games in United’s away schedule will be at Porto, Steaua Bucharest and Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

United’s remaining home games will be against PAOK, last season’s Greek champions, Bodo/Glimt of Norway and Dutch side FC Twente.

Tottenham, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, have home games against Roma, AZ Alkmaar, Qarabag and Swedish side Elfsborg.

As well as a trip to Ibrox, the other away fixtures will see Spurs travel to Ferencvaros of Hungary, Turkish giants Galatasaray and also Hoffenheim in Germany.

The top eight teams from the league stage will go straight into the last 16 while a round of play-offs involving those finishing between ninth and 24th will decide the other eight places.

The full fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be announced on August 31, so to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in the Champions League and Conference League playing in the same cities.