When the Europa League round of 16 draw was made on Friday, Manchester United fans were likely breathing a sigh of relief as they avoided the likes of Lyon and Roma, instead paired with Russian side FC Rostov.
Rostov are currently in seventh place in the Russian Premier League, although they should not be taken lightly.
They beat Bayern Munich at home this season in the group stages of the Champions League, a result which helped them qualify for the Europa League knockout stage and proves their pedigree.
The timing of the tie is slightly inconvenient, the first leg in Russia on March 9 coming just four days before United’s FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea.
But United have an ace up their sleeve in manager Jose Mourinho.
As you can see in the tweet below from our friends at WhoScored.com, Mourinho has a near-perfect record against Russian teams, something he will hope to keep in tact.
Jose Mourinho: Has lost none of his 8 matches as a manager against Russian opposition (6W, 2D 0L) #mufc
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 24, 2017
