United finished sixth in the Premier League last season, meaning they missed out on Champions League football this season and go into Friday’s draw with Arsenal, who return to European competition after a year out. – Notebook: Glazers ignore Ratcliffe for Man Utd takeover– Champions League Draw: Predictions, must-see games and more– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (US) Erik ten Hag’s side have been drawn in Group E, where they face a difficult task with Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Omonia Nicosia standing in the way of their qualification for the knockouts. This year’s competition will see Cristiano Ronaldo make his first appearance for Europe’s second-tier club since 2002, when he appeared for Sporting Lisbon against Partizan Belgrade aged 17. Sheriff will be looking to repeat his giant-killing heroics against United this season, with the Moldovan side having earned an improbable 2-1 win away to Real Madrid in the Champions League last season. Group E will also see a return to Manchester for midfielder David Silva, who joined Sociedad in 2020 after a highly successful decade at Manchester City. Meanwhile, Arsenal will compete in Group A alongside PSV, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich. The draw means Van Nistelrooy will return to face Arsenal after enjoying a bitter rivalry during his five years as a United player, which culminated when he missed a penalty against Arsenal in 2003, a major event in the north London. club’s “Invincible” season. Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho will face Manuel Pellegrini again when Conference League winners Roma take on Real Betis in Group C. Mourinho replaced Pellegrini at Madrid in 2010 and the pair have clashed ever since, both in LaLiga and and when Mourinho’s Chelsea beat Pellegrini. Manchester City won the Premier League title in 2015. This season’s Europa League group stages will run from September 8 to November 3, finishing weeks before the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Qatar. The knockout stages will begin on February 16, 2023, with the final scheduled to take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on May 31, 2023. GROUP A: Arsenal (England), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Bodo/Glimt (Norway), FC Zurich (Switzerland). GROUP B: Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Rennes (France), Fenerbahce (Turkey), AEK Larnaca (Cyprus). GROUP C: AS Roma (Italy), Ludogorets (Bulgaria), Real Betis (Spain), HJK Helsinki (Finland). GROUP D: Braga (Portugal), Malmo (Sweden), Union Berlin (Germany), St. Gilois (Belgium) GROUP E: Manchester United (England), Real Sociedad (Spain), Sherif Tiraspol (Moldova), Omonia (Cyprus). GROUP F: Lazio (Italy), Feyenoord (Netherlands), Midland (Denmark), Sturm Graz (Austria). GROUP G: Olympiacos (Greece), Karabagh (Azerbaijan), Freiburg (Germany), Nantes (France). GROUP H: Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), AS Monaco (France), Ferencvaros (Hungary), Trabzonspor (Turkey).
