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‘Cristiano Ronaldo could be back at Sporting’ is a headline which can be seen in Protugal today, but that doesn’t mean the player would return to the Lions

What they’re talking about is that he and Manchester United could play the Lisbon side in the Europa League.

Following the end of the Champions League’s group stage, we now know the clubs who can face each other in Europe’s second tier, and it turns out the tournament could get quite interesting, with many big sides involved.

So as Sporting manager Ruben Amorim spoke to the Lisbon media today, he had a word about Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo, and he’s actually hoping the Lions don’t have to face the Red Devils in the next round.

“We don’t want Manchester United, but if we have to come, Ronaldo stays on the bench, so he doesn’t score goals,” said Ruben Amorim (via Radio Renascença).

The draw for the Europa League play-offs will be held on Monday. The first pot has PSV, Rennes, Roma, Union Berlin, Manchester United, Midtjylland, Nantes and Monaco.

The second one, with clubs who came from the Champions League, features Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, Sporting, RB Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla and Juventus.