Man United Drawn with Real Betis in Last 16 of Europa League

Europa League ambassador Hungarian former footballer Zoltan Gera shows the paper slip of Real Betis Balompie during the draw for the round of 16 of the 2022-2023 UEFA Europa League football tournament in Nyon, on February 24, 2023. (AFP)
Europa League ambassador Hungarian former footballer Zoltan Gera shows the paper slip of Real Betis Balompie during the draw for the round of 16 of the 2022-2023 UEFA Europa League football tournament in Nyon, on February 24, 2023. (AFP)
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Man United Drawn with Real Betis in Last 16 of Europa League

Europa League ambassador Hungarian former footballer Zoltan Gera shows the paper slip of Real Betis Balompie during the draw for the round of 16 of the 2022-2023 UEFA Europa League football tournament in Nyon, on February 24, 2023. (AFP)
Europa League ambassador Hungarian former footballer Zoltan Gera shows the paper slip of Real Betis Balompie during the draw for the round of 16 of the 2022-2023 UEFA Europa League football tournament in Nyon, on February 24, 2023. (AFP)

Manchester United was paired with Real Betis in the round of 16 of the Europa League on Friday, giving the 2017 champions another Spanish opponent after eliminating Barcelona.

Man United will host the first leg at Old Trafford on March 9.

The last Ukrainian team left in this season’s European competitions, Shakhtar Donetsk, was drawn to face Feyenoord. Shakhtar will host the first leg in neighboring Poland because of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

Premier League leader Arsenal will face Sporting Lisbon, with the first leg played in Portugal.

Arsenal was seeded in the draw because it was among the eight winners of Europa League groups, and those teams play the second leg at home. Unseeded teams hosting the first leg came through the playoff round, which involved Europa League group runners-up and teams which placed third in a Champions League group.

Juventus was paired with Freiburg and six-time champion Sevilla will be at home first against Fenerbahce. Union Berlin will have a reunion with Union Saint-Gilloise after they also met twice in the group stage.

Roma, coached by Jose Mourinho, will play Real Sociedad, while Bayer Leverkusen was paired with Ferencvaros.

The Europa League final will be played in Budapest on May 31 at Puskas Arena.



Kyrgios Is Back in Tournament Action for 1st Time in 18 Months at Brisbane International

Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)
Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Kyrgios Is Back in Tournament Action for 1st Time in 18 Months at Brisbane International

Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)
Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)

Nick Kyrgios will make his return to tournament tennis at the Brisbane International when he takes on 21-year-old Giovanni Perricard of France.

It will be the first tour-level appearance by Kyrgios since the Stuttgart Open in June 2023. The 29-year-old Kyrgios has been mostly sidelined with career-threatening wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open quarterfinals.

Kyrgios is also entered in the Australian Open beginning Jan. 12. It would be his first Grand Slam singles tournament in more than two years.

Kyrgios, who won the Brisbane International in 2018, will partner Novak Djokovic in doubles in Brisbane. Djokovic beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon singles final.

Djokovic is the No. 1-seeded player at the Brisbane International and will play Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in the opening round following the singles draw held Saturday.

Kyrgios and Djokovic are in the top half of the singles draw and are not slated to play each other until the semifinals should they both win through.