Europa League teams news and match info for Man Utd, Leicester, Arsenal and Tottenham
The Europa League is certainly not the competition Premier League clubs aspire to reach but Manchester United, Arsenal, Leicester and Tottenham will have to leave their ego at the door and crack on when UEFA's secondary club competition resumes on Thursday.
Arsenal, Leicester and Tottenham all came through their Europa League groups relatively unscathed but United have dropped down from the Champions League after making a real mess of qualification from their group.
Ahead of the Europa League round of 32, we have all your need-to-know matchday information for all four Premier League sides, including team news, opponent analysis and where you can actually watch them.
Wolfsberger AC vs Tottenham
When is kick off?
Thursday 18th February, 17:55 GMT
Where is the match?
Pukas Arena, Budapest (Hungary)
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport 2
How they qualified
Wolfsberger AC have set up a knockout clash with Tottenham after finishing second to Dinamo Zagreb in Group K. The Austrian outfit won three, drew one and lost two of their six group games. They actually fared better away from home so the fact they have lost home advantage to local restrictions may not be the end of the world.
Tottenham suffered a shock defeat away to Royal Antwerp in their Europa League group and drew 3-3 away to Wolfsberger's Austrian rivals LASK but qualified top three points clear of third. Jose Mourinho's side are in horrendous form now, however, with five defeats in their last six matches in all competitions.
Team News
Wolfsberger AC will be without Mario Leitgeb and Eliel Peretz on Thursday and the former would likely have started in midfield. January signing Gustav Henriksson may have to settle for a place on the bench.
Tottenham will continue to be withou Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon, while Joe Rodon was not included in their European squad. Serge Aurier is a doubt and may be held back for their London derby with West Ham on Sunday. Fringe players like Gareth Bale and Dele Alli will push for starts here.
Real Sociedad vs Man Utd
When is kick off?
Thursday 18th February, 17:55 GMT
Where is the match?
Allianz Stadium, Turin (Italy)
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport 1
How they qualified
Real Sociedad haven't been the most thrilling to watch in Europe this season. Five of their six Europa League group games saw under 2.5 goals. They only lost one of their six group games to finish second beind Napoli in Group F and concluded that phase of the competition with three straight draws.
Manchester United will still rue their shock defeat away to Istanbul Basaksehir in November, as that result cost them a place in the Champions League knockout stage. They did all the hard work only to let it slip in one of their easiest games. They finished with back-to-back defeats to settle for third and drop down to the Europa League.
Team News
Adnan Januzaj has been in and out of the side all season but will be desperate to start against former club Manchester United on Thursday. The Spanish side will also be leaning on ex-Manchester City captain David Silva over the two legs and they are also boosted by the surprise availability of star winger Mikel Oyarzabal. Willian Jose was sold to Wolves in January but 21-year-old Alexander Isak heads into Thursday's match having scored in five straight league games.
Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek have both been ruled out by Manchester United, joining Paul Pogba on the sidelines. Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial also need assessing, with Mason Greenwood set to lead the line fresh from signing a new long-term deal with the club. Dean Henderson and Eric Bailly should rotate into the side, while impressive young forwards Amad Diallo and Shole Shoretire have both travelled. Juan Mata is also back for the away side.
Benfica vs Arsenal
When is kick off?
Thursday 18th February, 20:00 GMT
Where is the match?
Stadio Olimpico, Rome (Italy)
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport 2
How they qualified
Benfica went through their Europa League group stage unbeaten (W3, D3) but finished second behind Rangers to set up a knockout encounter with fellow Emirates Cup rivals Arsenal. Benfica have only lost once at home all season so will begrudge the fact they have to host Arsenal in Italy rather than the Estadio da Luiz beause of local travel restrictions.
Arsenal sailed through their group with a 100 per cent record, though they did have to come from behind in two of their first three matches to get all three points. In fact, the Gunners were the only side in the Europa League to qualify with six wins from six. Arsenal could certainly do with that form now as they have lost three of their last six in all competitions.
Team News
Benfica welcomed back Gian-Luca Waldschmidt from injury at the weekend to leave only Jardel and Andre Almeida as injury concerns for Thursday. Former QPR trickster Adel Taarabt has transformed into a defensive midfielder in Portugal and Arsenal supporters will be in for a shock when they see him on Thursday. Ex-Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen will renew rivarlies with the Gunners.
Arsenal will continue to be without midfielder Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney is also expected to miss out through injury. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should be fine to play if selected despite picking up an ankle knock at the weekend. Emile Smith Rowe has played a lot recently and could earn a rest here, while Alexandre Lacazette and Rob Holding will return to the side after dropping to the bench against Leeds.
Slavia Prague vs Leicester
When is kick off?
Thursday 18th February, 17:55 GMT
Where is the match?
Sinobo Stadium, Prague (Czech Republic)
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport ESPN
How they qualified
Slavia Prague started and finished their Europa League group stage with defeat but won four in a row between those fixtures to claim second in Group C behind Bayer Leverkusen.
Leicester also won four of their six group games but managed to finish first ahead of Braga despite finishing level on points with the Portuguese outfit.
Team News
Slavia Prague must make do without Petr Sevcik, David Hovorka and Yusuf on Thursday, while Stanislav Teci and Mick van Buren are doubts. Recent back from injury, Slavia Prague will hope to pair David Zima at centre-back with Ondrej Kudela. New signing Alexander Bah has slotted into the side straight away at right-back.
Leicester's injury list continues to grow with Ayoze Perez out for a couple of weeks. Timothy Castagne is not ready for Thursday, with Wesley Fofana, James Justin and Wes Morgan also ruled out among Leicester's defensive options. Brendan Rodgers will also leave Ricardo Pereira in England as the Foxes manage his return from a long-term knee injury. Rodgers hasn't been afraid to use Jamie Vardy in the Europa League this season but may wrap him up in cotton wool here.
