Paris (AFP)

Manchester United open the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League in a meeting under close surveillance in Bruges (18.55), Thursday, before the trip-trap of Arsenal, another trophy contender, at Olympiakos (21:00).

Anthony Martial's "Red Devils", victorious at Chelsea (2-0) on Monday in the league, tackle with ambition the C3 they won in 2017. Distanced in the Premier League, they count on a final success to ensure their qualification for the Champions League, the ultimate goal of the club.

In Belgium, they face a tough opponent, who held Real Madrid (2-2) in the group stage of C1. The atmosphere promises to be warm: the meeting, at high risk, is the subject of reinforced security measures because of the rivalry between the supporters of the two camps.

Arsenal, beaten in the final last season, share the same "C1 plan" as United. Coach Mikel Arteta, who arrived in late December, seems to have found his cruising speed with the "Gunners", still undefeated in 2020 before going to Piraeus.

But the London club has gotten into the habit of traveling badly to Greece, where it has won only one of its last six trips.

Other formations to watch out for, Inter Milan travels to Bulgaria to face Ludogorets, when AS Rome receives the Gantoise. Winner of three of the last six editions, Seville moves to the Romanians of Cluj, who fell from Rennes in the previous round.

FC Porto, shaken Sunday by a case of racism which suffered its Franco-Malian striker Moussa Marega on the lawn of Guimaraes, finds the grounds in Germany, at Bayer Leverkusen.

Program for the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League to be played on Thursday, February 20 (in French hours):

Thursday February 20

(6:55 p.m.) Sporting Portugal (POR) - Basaksehir (TUR)

Getafe (ESP) - Ajax Amsterdam (NED)

Copenhagen (DEN) - Celtic (SCO)

CFR Cluj (ROU) - Seville (ESP)

Club Bruges (BEL) - Manchester United (ENG)

Ludogorets (BUL) - Inter Milan (ITA)

Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) - RB Salzburg (AUT)

Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) - Benfica (POR)

(9:00 p.m.) Wolverhampton (ENG) - Espanyol Barcelona (ESP)

Bayer Leverkusen (GER) - Porto (POR)

APOEL Nicosia (CYP) - Basel (SUI)

Olympiakos (GRE) - Arsenal (ENG)

AZ Alkmaar (NED) - Linz (AUT)

Wolfsburg (GER) - Malmö (SWE)

AS Rome (ITA) - La Gantoise (BEL)

Glasgow Rangers (SCO) - Sporting Braga (POR)

© 2020 AFP