Europa League 2024/25 play-offs: All that you need to know
What's the story
Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce will take on Anderlecht in a two-leg playoff of the Europa League knockout stage. The Turkish side booked their spot, finishing 24th in the new 36-standings format, on goal difference. The first leg of this important fixture will be played on February 13 at Fenerbahce's home ground, while the return game will be played in Brussels a week later. Here is all that you need to know about the UEL play-offs.
Title pursuit
Mourinho's mission and Fenerbahce's league standing
Mourinho, a footballing legend, was signed to help Fenerbahce end their 10-year-long wait for a Turkish league title. However, the team is now six points behind their Istanbul rival Galatasaray. Galatasaray also made it to Friday's draw and will face AZ Alkmaar, with the first match being played in the Netherlands.
Matchups
Other notable matchups in Europa League playoffs
The playoff round draw also unveiled other interesting matchups. Two of Mourinho's former clubs, FC Porto and AS Roma, will meet each other. Meanwhile, Ajax has been drawn against Union Saint-Gilloise, with the first leg scheduled to be held in Belgium. These matches feature teams that ranked from ninth to 24th over the new eight-game schedule that ended on Thursday.
League phase
Top teams to join Europa League's round of 16
The round of 16 pairings will be drawn on February 21, including the top-eight teams from the league phase. This group also includes two more clubs that were managed by Mourinho, Manchester United and Tottenham. Other notable teams in this phase are Lazio, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon, Olympiakos and Rangers.
Dynamics
Understanding the Europa League play-off draw
The top eight finishers from the 36-team Europa League group table qualified directly to the last 16, while the bottom eight were eliminated. The remaining 16 teams that finished between ninth and 24th place progressed into the play-offs. These clubs were then split into four seeded pairs (ninth to 16th) and four unseeded pairs (17th to 24th) for the play-off draw.
Twitter Post
Twitter Post
The knockout phase play-off ties 🤩#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/vsja5RsiXM
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) January 31, 2025