Football

Man Utd’s horror Europa League draw includes 11,400 mile round trips to Kazakhstan and a visit to a destroyed stadium


MANCHESTER UNITED face a nightmare 11,400 mile round trip in the Europa League after being drawn against teams from Kazakhstan and Serbia.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men risk major burnout this season after discovering they will be travelling a mammoth 7,400 miles for just one fixture against FC Astana.

2

 Man Utd face tough trips to Kazakhstan and Serbia in the Europa League

2

Man Utd face tough trips to Kazakhstan and Serbia in the Europa LeagueCredit: Reuters

They will also jet to Serbia to face Partizan Belgrade in a stadium renowned for its hostile atmosphere.

And the final side in the group, Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar, may not even have a stadium to play in after their roof sensationally collapsed.

Fans will have to dig deep for flights, with the trip to Astana alone taking a minimum of nine hours just one way.

Astana are based in Kazakhstan’s capital city Nur-Sultan, which is around 300 miles closer to Beijing than Manchester.

The trip is further than Baku, which staged last year’s final and caused travel chaos for Arsenal and Chelsea fans wanting to attend.

And the Red Devils will have to get themselves up for a Thursday night game effectively in Asia before a Premier League fixture at the weekend.

United will take on Astana on November 28 and Solskjaer will be grateful that they have a favourable home clash with Aston Villa just days later.

After travelling to Partizan on October 24 they will play Norwich at Carrow Road and a trip to take on AZ Alkmaar is followed by a Premier League match at Newcastle.

Manchester United Europa League fixtures

September 19 – FC Astana (H)

October 3 – AZ Alkmaar (A)

October 24 – Partizan Belgrade (A)

November 7 – Partizan Belgrade (H)

November 28 – FC Astana (A)

December 12 – AZ Alkmaar (H)

United have also been drawn against Partizan Belgrade, which means they have an eight-hour round flight to Serbia.

Partizan were recently hit by a two-game stadium ban for racist chanting but the suspension will be over by the time United visit.

Meanwhile, Eredivisie side Alkmaar have a partially-destroyed stadium after their roof collapsed earlier this month, but should be able to find another venue in the Netherlands if the arena is still not ready.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.