The draw for the Europa League Round of 16 through the finals just completed this morning. Tottenham Hotspur are now favorites to win the competition, but while they know their immediate upcoming opponent, it looks as though they could face a tricky path to the final.
Spurs drew former academy striker Troy Parrott and Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in the upcoming Round of 16, a home and home series that will take place on March 6 and March 13. That’s probably the more favorable draw for Spurs compared to Real Sociedad, who will face Manchester United on the opposite side of the bracket.
But that wasn’t the only part of the draw. Here’s the full bracket.
Spurs were drawn into the more difficult side of the bracket, and potentially will have to beat both Eintracht Frankfurt and Lazio, two of the best teams from the group stage, to advance to the final. To be fair, the other side of the bracket has its share of good sides, including Lyon (and Tanguy Ndombele) and Athletic Club, who could play for a Europa League trophy in their home stadium.
That said, if you want to be the best, you gotta beat the best. It was undeniable that Tottenham would have to play against some very good teams if it wants to win this competition, and now they know the scope of the challenge. The first trick will be to do what it did back in October: shut down Parrott and get past AZ. After that, we’ll see.