Tottenham best and worst case Europa League round of 16 draw as Man Utd await confirmation

Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham won't have to wait too much longer to discover their Europa League round of 16 opponents. Having secured a top-eight finish in the league phase, Spurs have been given a rare breather and the opportunity to watch on at a time when others are fighting it out for a place in the last 16 of the competition.

The knockout phase play-off round comes to a conclusion on Thursday evening, with the draw for the next stage of the Europa League taking place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland at midday on Friday, February 21. From the knockout round play-offs onwards, the competition is using a bracket system, just like in major international tournaments, and Tottenham's route to the final and possible opponents will be mapped out.

Spurs already know that they will face one of Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or Midtjylland in the round of 16. Going on the new structure of UEFA club competition and where they finished in the league standings, Manchester United are also able to draw one of the quartet.

The north London club will be seeded in Friday's draw, meaning they will be at home in the second leg of their round of 16 fixture. Tottenham will be drawn in either the silver or orange side of the bracket and the Red Devils will be on the opposite side of the draw to them, thus determining their route all the way to the final in Bilbao in May.

So what exactly are Tottenham's best and worst case round of 16 draw scenarios? football.london takes a look below.

Worst case scenario

Real Sociedad are ideally the team Tottenham would like to avoid in the round of 16, although Postecoglou and his players would no doubt be confident of advancing over two legs if they are to be paired together. The Spanish side are in a very good position to win their knockout phase play-off tie after beating Midtjylland 2-1 in Denmark last week.

Sociedad do boast some very good players in their squad, including Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo. However, they currently sit 11th in La Liga but they are only four points away from Rayo Vallecano in the final European position.

Another worst case scenario for Tottenham would be that Galatasaray somehow overcome a 4-1 deficit from the first leg against AZ Alkmaar to qualify. The Turkish side secured a 3-2 win over Spurs at the beginning of November but they could have scored six or seven on another day given the amount of chances they passed up.

Games in Istanbul are extremely tricky to navigate and Spurs probably would want to avoid another encounter against the Turkish giants as they look to triumph in the competition.

Best case scenario

Midtjylland are the best case scenario for Tottenham in the round of 16 but the Danes have a huge challenge on their hands trying to overcome Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. However, you can never say never in cup football.

As things stand at present, AZ Alkmaar would be the best case scenario for the north London club. Spurs have already beaten the Dutch side this season having secured a 1-0 win over them at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in late October.

AZ, who have former Tottenham man Troy Parrott leading the line, have impressed in Europe this term and would not be straightforward opponents over two legs. You would have to say they are the best opponent for Tottenham if it is them and Real Sociedad who are to prevail given their leads from the first leg, however.

Discussing the futures of Tottenham's bright young stars & what changes Ange Postecoglou should make for Ipswich - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

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