Pogba brothers to meet in Europa League, Latest Football News - The New Paper
Football

Pogba brothers to meet in Europa League

Manchester United will take on Saint-Etienne in the last 32 of the Europa League after the draw was made yesterday, with Jose Mourinho's side hosting the French club in the first leg.

The tie will see United and France midfielder Paul Pogba, the world's most expensive player, come up against his older brother Florentin, the Guinea international defender.

Florentin, 26, has also been reportedly linked to the EPL. He is also half of a pair. His twin brother, Mathias, plays as a striker for Sparta Rotterdam.

The Pogba twins opted not to play for France, choosing to represent Guinea, their country of birth, instead.

Saint-Etienne are eighth in the 20-team French top flight after 17 matches, 15 points behind leaders Nice.

LAST MEETING

The teams met in the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup first round in 1977, with United winning 3-1 on aggregate.

On that occasion, United were forced to host the second leg in the southern English city of Plymouth, 450km away, following crowd trouble in the first leg in France.

Mourinho's men finished second in Group A behind Fenerbahce, while Saint-Etienne topped Group C.

The other Premier League representative, Tottenham Hotspur, will face Gent of Belgium after being eliminated from the Champions League. - AFP


EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 32

  • Athletic Bilbao v APOEL
  • Legia Warsaw v Ajax
  • Anderlecht v Zenit
  • Astra v Genk
  • Man United v Saint-Etienne
  • Villarreal v Roma
  • Ludogorets v FC Copenhagen
  • Celta Vigo v Shakhtar Donetsk
  • Olympiakos v Osmanlispor
  • Gent v Tottenham Hotspur
  • Rostov v Sparta Prague
  • Krasnodar v Fenerbahce
  • Borussia M’gladbach v Fiorentina
  • AZ Alkmaar v Lyon
  • Hapoel Beer-Sheva v Besiktas
  • PAOK v Schalke

First leg: Feb 16. Second leg: Feb 23.

EUROPA LEAGUEManchester Unitedpaul pogba