BERLIN (Germany): Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen have big ambitions when the Europa League resumes this week with the completion of the last 16 before a mini tournament finale in Germany.
Two of the eight ties Wednesday and Thursday, Inter Milan v Getafe and Sevilla v Roma, are played in a single-leg format because the pandemic wiped out their scheduled first meeting.
The Spanish-Italian dates are played in western Germany where the tournament will also conclude August 10-21 with a single-leg knock-out format culminating in the Cologne final.
Playing at home from the quarterfinals onwards is added motivation for the three Bundesliga clubs left in the tournament, but Eintracht Frankfurt need to overturn a 3-0 deficit at Swiss side Basel and Woilfsburg go to Ukraine 2-1 behind against ex-champions Shakhtar Dontesk.
Only Leverkusen look well-placed, leading Rangers 3-1 from their win in Scotland some five months ago.
The 2017 champions United should be effectively through taking a 5-0 cushion into their Old Trafford date with Austria’s LASK; Woverhampton Wanderes and Olympiakos are level at 1-1; and Turkish champions Basaksehir take a slender 1-0 lead to Copenhapen.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to rotate his squad, but after a top-four finish in the Premier League they now set the sights on another Europa League top spot.
“Now our focus is on the Europa League because this is a really good trophy and we want to win,” influential January signing Bruno Fernandes told MUTV.
