Manchester United have been drawn against Rostov in the Europa League last 16.
United advanced to the last-16 stage with a comfortable 4-0 aggregate victory against St Etienne in the first knockout round, having come through their group as runners-up.
The two legs will take place on March 9 and March 16. Jose Mourinho’s team face a brutal trip to Russia for the first leg only four days before they play Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final.
United’s players and staff will have to make a 3,744-mile round trip to Rostov for the game on March 9.
The outcome of the draw is a nightmare for manager Mourinho, who complained about fixture congestion following their win in France.
He said on Wednesday: ‘I feel really surprised that the decision is made before our draw in Europe because at this moment nobody knows where we play, where the first and second matches are.
‘Imagine if we play Chelsea on the Monday and go to the match in Europe in Russia, Turkey or Greece?
‘I think once more the interests are going in front of the clubs and English football’s interests, and nobody cares about it.’
Rostov qualified for the Europa League after finishing second in last season’s Russian Premier League before coming third in a Champions League group that also contained Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Last-16 Draw in Full
Celta Vigo vs Krasnodar
APOEL vs Anderlecht
Schalke vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Lyon vs Roma
Rostov vs Manchester United
Olympiacos vs Besiktas
Gent vs Genk
Copenhagen vs Ajax
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