Europa League group stage draw 2022/23: Best & worst case scenarios for Arsenal & Man Utd
By Sean Walsh
The draw for the group stage of the Europa League takes place in Istanbul on Friday.
Arsenal are returning to European competition after an absent 2021/22 season, while Manchester United are back in the second-tier tournament from the off for the first time since 2019.
Their returns to the Europa League see them come in as two of the heavyweight names in this year's competition - Man Utd have the highest UEFA coefficient in the draw, while Arsenal rank third behind Europa Conference League winners Roma.
Both Premier League sides are in pot one for the draw and are the only English representatives. Let's have a look at their best and worst case scenarios.
Europa League group stage seedings
Pot 1:
- Manchester United
- Roma
- Arsenal
- Lazio
- Braga
- Red Star Belgrade
- Dynamo Kyiv
- Olympiacos
Pot 2:
- Feyenoord
- PSV Eindhoven
- Rennes
- Monaco
- Real Sociedad
- Qarabag
- Malmo
- Ludogorets Razgrad
Pot 3:
- Sheriff Tiraspol
- Real Betis
- Midtjylland
- Bodo/Glimt
- Ferencvaros
- Union Berlin
- Freiburg
- Fenerbahce
Pot 4:
- Nantes
- HJK Helsinki
- Sturm Graz
- AEK Larnaca
- Omonia
- Zurich
- Union Saint-Gilloise
- Trabzonspor
Arsenal/Man Utd best case scenario
Compared to recent years, there aren't too many obvious banana skins in this draw for English slides to slip up on.
Azerbaijani side Qarabag and Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets Razgrad are two of the smaller teams in pot two, but would require lengthy away trips. The best of both worlds would be a draw with Swedish giants Malmo.
Applying that same logic in pot three, Bodo/Glimt or Ferencvaros are the teams to hope for in pot three.
Pot four has a few nicer draw possibilities, with Austrian's Sturm Graz and Swiss champions Zurich the ones to keep an eye on. If teams don't mind racking up the air miles, Cypriot duo AEK Larnaca and Omonia are also in the final pot.
Arsenal/Man Utd worst case scenario
From pot two, PSV, Rennes and Real Sociedad are present tough draws, but Monaco are the team to avoid.
In pot three, Real Betis have plenty of quality and are predicted by 90min's ES team to break into La Liga's top four this season. Freiburg of the Bundesliga were denied Champions League football on the final day of last season and too would prove a tricky opponent.
Ligue 1 regulars Nantes and Turkish champions Trabzonspor are definitely the teams to watch out for in pot four.