Manchester United have been drawn against Anderlecht in the last eight of the Europa League. The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on April 13 and the second legs played on April 20. Manchester United were drawn out of the hat second, meaning they will play the first leg away from home. Celta Vigo will play against Genk, Ajax against Schalke and Lyon against Besiktas in the three other quarter-finals. There was no seeding or country limitations for the last eight draw, meaning United could have been drawn against any of the seven teams left in the competition. Anderlecht are currently leading the Belgian First Division and entered the Europa League after being knocked out by FC Rostov in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. They have played Manchester United in European competition on six previous occasions, winning twice and losing four. They did however win the last time the teams met in Europe, in the group stages of the 2000/01 Champions League, with Tomasz Radzinski scoring a brace to give them a 2-1 win. Manchester United beat Rostov 1-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, to complete a 2-1 aggregate victory over the Russian side in the Round of 16 stage. They comfortably saw off Ligue 1 team Saint-Étienne 4-0 over the two-legged Round of 32 stage, having finished second in their group behind Fenerbahçe. United manager Mourinho has repeatedly spoken about how much he wants to win the Europa League in his first season at Old Trafford, especially now that the winner of the competition is rewarded with a spot in the Champions League. "My opinion changes because the rules change and because the Europa League winner has a direct spot in the Champions League," he said earlier in the season. "So in the last couple of years, the Europa League, for the big clubs, has a different meaning. Because it's another way to qualify for the Champions League."
