The Conference League continues with the knockout stage draw made as Chelsea learn their last-16 opponents.

Enzo Maresca is under pressure after a disastrous run of form, which has seen the Blues eliminated from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

The Blues have cruised in this competition though and remain strong favourites to complete the set of European trophies after winning the Champions League, Europa League and European Super Cup over the last decade.

They will face Copenhagen in the Round of 16 as they attempt to continue their pursuit of yet more continental success.

Panathinaikos vs Fiorentina is another intriguing tie as the remaining sides look to follow Roma, West Ham and Olympiacos in claiming the tertiary prize.

Follow all the latest updates in Nyon below:

Conference League draw LIVE

• The draw for the last 16 of the Conference League has been made

• Chelsea face Copenhagen after topping their group in the League phase

• Enzo Maresca's side are hot favourites in their last realistic chance of a trophy

Conference league draw - quarter finals

13:27 , Harry Latham-Coyle

So that leaves a last eight that will look like this:

Real Betis/Vitoria de Guimaraes vs Jagiellonia/Cercle Brugge

Celje/Lugano vs Panathinaikos/Fiorentina

Copehagen/Chelsea vs Molde/Legia Warsaw

Pafos/Djugardens vs Borac/Rapid Wien

The two legs of those last-16 encounters will be played on 6 and 13 March.

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Copenhagen vs Chelsea

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Real Betis vs Vitoria SC

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Borac vs Rapid Wien

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Panathanaikos vs Fiorentina

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Pafos vs Djurgardens

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Celje vs Lugano

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Molde vs Legia Warsaw

Conference League draw - Round of 16 ties

13:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Jagiellonia vs Cercle Brugge

Conference League draw

13:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Time to get underway. Eight balls to be plucked to tee up our last-16 ties.

Conference League draw

13:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle

To do the drawing, here’s 102-cap Poland international Michal Zewlakow.

Conference League

13:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle

For the third time today, Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti takes us into the proceedings, the reception not quite as rousing for the executive with the draw hall rather more sparsely populated.

Conference League draw

13:02 , Harry Latham-Coyle

This year’s Conference League final will be held in Wroclaw, Poland on 28 May.

On to the Conference League draw...

12:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Right, one more draw to come on this busy Friday of Uefa processing. The Conference League is up next in Nyon - here’s what the last 16 will look like:

• Real Betis to play Chelsea or Vitoria

• Jagiellonia Bialystok to play Legia Warsaw or Cercle Brugge

• Celje to play Djurgardens or Lugano

• Panathinaikos to play Fiorentina or Rapid Wien

• Borac Banja Luka to play Fiorentina or Rapid Wien

• Pagos to play Djurgardens or Lugano

• Molde to play Legia Warsaw or Cercle Brugge

• FC Copenhagen to play Chelsea or Vitoria

Tottenham’s route to Europa League final revealed

12:45 , Kieran Jackson

Tottenham will face AZ Alkmaar in the last-16 of the Europa League as their route to the final emerged after Friday’s draw.

Spurs finished an impressive fourth after the new and extended group phase of the competition, meaning they were seeded for the draw in Nyon.

Despite their poor form domestically, Ange Postecoglou’s team finished the group phase strongly with victories over Hoffenheim and Elfsborg.

Tottenham’s last involvement in the competition, in 2020-21, saw them reach the last-16 where they were knocked out by Dinamo Zagreb.

Let’s see how Tottenham could make the final in Bilbao on 21 May.

Tottenham’s route to Europa League final revealed

Manchester United’s route to Europa League final revealed

12:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Manchester United will hope to brush aside their domestic woes and have a deep run in the Europa League after finding out their fate in the competition following the knockout draw in Switzerland.

United did not win any of their first three Europa League games under Erik ten Hag, before interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ruben Amorim steadied the ship.

However, the Red Devils still left it late to defeat Viktoria Plzen and Rangers, before a final victory over FCSB secured their place in the top eight.

Their position in the bottom half of the Premier League table means victory in the Europa League is their best chance of returning to the Champions League next season and, with no teams dropping into the competition from the Champions League, they will fancy their chances of going all the way.

Here’s everything you need to know about Manchester United’s potential route to the final:

Man Utd’s route to Europa League final revealed

Europa League quarter finals

12:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle

So those eight ties will leave a quarter final line-up that looks like this (second leg host listed second):

Bodo Glimt/Olympiacos vs Viktoria Plzen/Lazio

AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham vs Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt

Fenerbahce/Rangers vs Roma/Athletic Bilbao

FCSB/Lyon vs Real Sociedad/Manchester United

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Roma vs Athletic Bilbao

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Viktoria Plzen vs Lazio

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Real Sociedad vs Manchester United

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle

AZ vs Tottenham

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

FCSB vs Lyon

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ajax vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Fenerbahce vs Rangers

Europa League draw - Round of 16 ties

12:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Bodo/Glimt vs Olympiacos

Europa League draw

12:08 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Doing the drawing today will be Basque legend Aritz Aduriz, the former Athletic Bilabo marksmen an appropriate choice with the final to be held in the city later this year. It’ll be Lazio or Viktoria Plzen for his old club today.

Europa League draw

12:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Right, here we go. Eight last-16 ties to be drawn.

Europa League draw

11:56 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It really is a fascinating selection of sides left in this competition. With no Champions League teams dropping down, this Europa League edition looks nice and open.

Rangers facing tough trip

11:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Neither Bodo/Glimt nor Fenerbahce would be particularly kind for Rangers, a fixture inside the Arctic Circle or a tricky trip to Turkey the fate that awaits them today. Philippe Clement is perhaps only being kept in a job by his side’s Europa League progress...

Man Utd’s mistakes have plunged them into the red – and it’s about to get worse

11:39 , Luke Baker

Getting sacked by Manchester United can be a lucrative business. For a select few, anyway. Not for the 250 staff who were laid off by Sir Jim Ratcliffe last year or, in all probability, for those fearing for their jobs now.

United insist another redundancy program is merely one of the options being considered as a club that has invariably been loss-making since Covid seeks to cut costs and break even.

But if the financial results of a club that still – with a projected income of up to £670m for the current year – can be a money-making machine often make for grim reading, there tends to be a telling detail in the small print.

“Exceptional items” tends to cover pay-offs. As United announced a loss of £27.7m for the second quarter of the financial year, and the last three months of 2024, exceptional items came to £14.5m; more than half of that loss, as even those with a rudimentary grasp of maths may work out.

Read Richard Jolly’s full analysis of the situation at Old Trafford:

Man Utd’s mistakes plunged them into the red – and it’s about to get worse

Champions League draw

11:25 , Luke Baker

The Champions League draw has just been made in Switzerland.

You can find out who Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa will face in our live blog here:

Champions League draw LIVE: Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa learn last-16 fate

Who are the favourites for the Europa League?

11:10 , Chris Wilson

Despite some embarrassing defeats of late, Manchester United are still the bookies’s favourites to win the competition.

United are languishing in 15th in the league and have even lost three times to Tottenham so far this season, but Ange Postecoglou’s side are second in the list of favourites at present (though some odds are offered as roughly the same as United’s).

Spanish side Athletic Bilbao, whose home stadium will host May’s final, are third-favourites, with the Basque side currently just six points behind leaders Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

And league phase ‘winners’ Lazio are the next in line, with the Italian side currently sitting in fifth in Serie A and 10 points adrift of leaders Napoli.

Who Rangers could face in Europa League last-16 draw

11:00 , Chris Wilson

After finishing the league phase seeded 8th, Rangers are paired with Olympiacos in the bracket for the knockouts.

The ninth, 10th, 23rd and 24th seeds will now face off with the two winners to play the seeds, which will be finalised in next month’s draw.

Those knockout play-off ties are Bodo/Glimt vs Twente and Anderlecht vs Fenerbahce. After the first legs, Twente lead Bodo 2-1 and Fenerbahce hold a strong 3-0 lead over Anderlecht.

Who Rangers could face in Europa League last-16 draw

Who Tottenham could face in Europa League last-16 draw

10:44 , Chris Wilson

After finishing as the fourth seeds in the league phase, Spurs are paired with third seeds Manchester United in the knockout bracket.

The knockout play-off ties were drawn on Friday with the 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th seeds now facing off for a right to make it into next month’s draw. The winners will they face United or Spurs.

Those ties are Real Sociedad vs Midtjylland, which stands at 2-1 to La Real after the first leg, and Galatasaray vs AZ Alkmaar, which the Dutch team lead 4-1.

Who Tottenham could face in Europa League last-16 draw

Who Manchester United could face in Europa League last-16 draw

10:23 , Chris Wilson

After finishing as the third seeds in the league phase, United are paired with fourth seeds Tottenham in the knockout bracket.

The knockout play-off ties were drawn on Friday with the 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th seeds now facing off for a right to make it into next month’s draw. The winners will then face United or Spurs.

Those ties are Real Sociedad vs Midtjylland and Galatasaray vs AZ Alkmaar, which sit at 2-1 to Sociedad and 4-1 to AZ after the first legs.

Who Man Utd could face in Europa League last-16 draw

How did the British teams qualify?

10:10 , Chris Wilson

All three British sides involved in the competition qualified automatically for the last 16, having all finished in the top eight in the league phase.

Manchester United make a shaky start with three successive draws against FC Twente, Porto and Fenerbahce, though successive wins against PAOK, Bodo/Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, Rangers and FCSB meant that Rube Amorim’s side eventually qualified unbeaten in third place.

Spurs started off their campaign with three successive wins – against Qarabag, Ferencvaros and Alkmaar – before losing to Galatasaray in November. They followed that with draws against Roma and Rangers, before two wins in their last two saw them finish in fourth.

It was a little more dramatic for Rangers, who beat Nice 4-1 away from home and held Tottenham to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox. Despite suffering a 2-1 loss to United at Old Trafford, the Scottish side finished in eighth thanks to a final-day 2-1 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise.

When are the next rounds played?

10:00 , Chris Wilson

Round of 16: 6 & 13 March 2025

Quarter-finals: 10 & 17 April 2025

Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May 2025

Final: 21 May 2025 (San Mames, Bilbao)

When is the draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals?

09:50 , Chris Wilson

From the knockout play-offs onwards the tournament is a bracket, so potential opponents in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals were also pre-determined by pairings that were set according to league phase positions.

As the bracket was set after the end of the league phase, teams already know their potential opponents.

In this case, the draw is only made to determine the order of the matches (i.e. who plays at home in each leg).

How does the last-16 draw work?

09:35 , Chris Wilson

According to the new rules, the top-eight sides will be placed into seeded pairs ahead of the round of 16, and will all play the second legs of their last-16 ties at home.

The seeded pairs consist of the teams who finished first and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, and seventh and eighth in the league phase – for example, United and Spurs make up one seeded pair as they finished third and fourth respectively. They will then be drawn against teams from the equivalent pair from the play-off ties.

The possible combinations are as follows:

• Viktoria Plzen - to play Lazio or Athletic Club

• Bodo/Glimt - to play Olympiacos or Rangers

• Ajax - to play Eintracht Frankfurt or Lyon

• AZ - to play Man Utd or Tottenham

• Real Sociedad - to play Man Utd or Tottenham

• FSCB - to play Eintracht Frankfurt or Lyon

• Fenerbahce - to play Olympiacos or Rangers

• Roma - to play Lazio or Athletic Club

Which teams are seeded in the Europa League draw?

09:20 , Chris Wilson

The teams who finished in the top eight of the competition's new league phase table automatically qualified for the last 16.

• Lazio

• Athletic Club

• Manchester United

• Tottenham

• Eintracht Frankfurt

• Lyon

• Olympiacos

• Rangers

When is the draw for the Europa League last 16?

08:50 , Chris Wilson

The draw for the next rounds of the Europa League takes place at 12pm GMT on Friday, 21 February at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw will follow the conclusion of the Champions League last-16 draw, which begins at around 11am GMT.

How can I watch the Europa League draw?

The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website.

Europa League draw LIVE

08:30 , Chris Wilson

The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League takes place on Friday as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United learn their potential routes to the final in May.

The two Premier League clubs are among the favourites to win the competition despite some poor form domestically, and they are joined in the draw by 14 other clubs including Rangers, Lazio and Athletic Bilbao.

And with the two English clubs being seeded in third and fourth respectively, they cannot meet again until the final, with both sides hoping that they can go far in this competition as they look to salvage a poor league season.

Conference League last-16 draw teams

08:21 , Jack Rathborn

League phase top eight (seeded, ordered alphabetically)Cercle Brugge (BEL)Chelsea (ENG)Djurgården (SWE)Fiorentina (ITA)Legia Warszawa (POL)Lugano (SUI) SK Rapid (AUT)Vitória SC (POR)

Knockout phase play-off winners (unseeded, ordered alphabetically)Borac (BIH)Celje (SVN)Copenhagen (DEN)Jagiellonia (POL)Molde (NOR)Pafos (CYP) Panathinaikos (GRE) Real Betis (ESP)

Europa League last-16 draw

Thursday 20 February 2025 17:51 , Jack Rathborn

Hello and welcome to the Independent’s coverage of the Europa League last-16 draw.

The ties for the 1/8 final will be revealed in Nyon, Switzerland later today following the Champions League last-16 draw.

And British interest comes in the shape of Manchester United and Tottenham, both favourites with the bookmakers at this stage of the competition.

While Rangers will also retain ambitions to go far on the road to Bilbao, with each side learning their path through the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Stay tuned for all the build-up and latest results, ties and dates from the draw.