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Ajax meet Belgian opponents, AZ face tough Galatasaray draw, Twente off to Norway

Abdulkerim Bardakci of Galatasaray and Brian Brobbey of Ajax battle it out during the Europa League game between the two sides
Abdulkerim Bardakci of Galatasaray and Brian Brobbey of Ajax battle it out during the Europa League game between the two sidesBen Gal / Orange Pictures / DPPI via AFP
All three Dutch Europa League teams know their opponents in the tournament's knock-out stage after Friday's draw.

Twelfth-placed Ajax will face Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in the first knock-out phase. The team from the Belgian capital of Brussels beat FC Twente earlier this season with 1-0 and finished 21st in the League Phase.

Ajax beat Galatasaray 2-1 on the last day of the League Phase and will face an opponent they've never played before. Union Saint-Gilloise played in the Europa League twice before and reached the quarter-finals in 2023.

Ajax or Union Saint-Gilloise will face either Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt or Ligue 1 team Olympique Lyon in the round of 16.

AZ will face a familiar foe in the next stage of the Europa League after the Alkmaar club drew Turkish giants Galatasaray. The two sides met earlier this season in Alkmaar and settled for a 1-1 draw after goals from Sven Mijnans and Victor Osimhen.

AZ finished nineteenth in the League Phase after a 4-3 defeat to Hungarian side Ferencvaros and will meet a Galatasaray side which missed out on direct qualification for the round of 16 after Thursday's defeat in Amsterdam.

The winner of this two-legged tie will meet either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.

FC Twente have drawn Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt after beating Turkish team Besiktas 1-0 on a "magical" Thursday night, beating the odds and securing a spot in the Europa League knock-out phase.

Bodo/Glimt won four of the last five championships in Norway and is a familiar team for Dutch fans, having played Ajax, PSV, and AZ in the Europa League in the last three years.

Twente or Bodo/Glimt are set to face either Olympiacos or Rangers in the Europa League round of 16.

All games will be played on Thursday February 13th and 20th.

Champions League

Earlier on the day, Feyenoord and PSV drew their opponents for the Champions League knock-out phase.

Feyenoord will meet AC Milan for the first time since their victorious 1969/70 season in which they won the Europa Cup I as the first Dutch club ever.

PSV will face Juventus for a second and third time this season after both sides met in the Champions League's League Phase. Juventus won that meeting 3-1 in Turin.