Europa League draw: Manchester United go into unknown; Liverpool to face Augsburg
Europa League draw: Manchester United go into unknown; Liverpool to face Augsburg
Manchester United and their under-fire coach Louis van Gaal face a tricky task against little-known Midtjylland in the last 32 of the Europa League following Monday's draw.

Nyon: Dumped out of the Champions League, Manchester United's next European match will be a trip to western Denmark.

United were paired with Danish champion Midtjylland on Monday in the round of 32 of the Europa League.

Midtjylland, noted for their progressive management, were formed in 1999, midway through the English club's celebrated treble-winning season when they won the second of their three European titles.

With United coach Louis van Gaal under increasing scrutiny for his team's results and playing style, Midtjylland at least were a lower-key option than facing a Valencia team now coached by former Old Trafford great Gary Neville.

Valencia, the 2004 UEFA Cup champion, were the first team picked and were paired with Rapid Vienna.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp also avoided a high-profile reunion, though he will head back to Germany. The English club were drawn to face Augsburg, with the first leg on Feb. 18 and the second leg a week later.

Klopp's former club, unseeded Borussia Dortmund, were paired with FC Porto.

Like United and Porto, two-time defending Europa League champion Sevilla dropped into the second-tier competition after placing third in a Champions League group.

Sevilla, which were the first team to take up the Champions League place now awarded to the Europa League champions, will host Molde in the first leg.

In other pairings, it was: Fiorentina vs. Tottenham; Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Schalke; Villarreal vs. Napoli; Saint-Etienne vs. FC Basel; and Fenerbahce vs. Lokomotiv Moscow.

The Fenerbahce-Lokomotiv match will be the first competitive meeting between Turkish and Russian clubs amid political tension between the countries.

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