The Group stages are anything but guaranteed.
Liverpool’s draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has all but sealed fourth place for Manchester United and with that, Van Gaal’s men will be making a return to the Champions League.
The group stages are a long way off though because United will first have to win in a two-leggged play-off round if they’re to take their place among Europe’s best 32 teams.
As we look across Europe and see the how the league tables are currently standing, the potential opponents for United represent a serious challenge to their hopes of making the competition proper.
On the plus side, United will be seeded in the ‘League Route’ side of the draw and are likely to avoid some of the teams below with stronger European pedigree from La Liga and the Bundesliga.
It’s unlikely that they’ll be paired with Spanish opposition, which is a plus because a resurgent Valencia or Europa League winners Seville would be a match for most sides.
Valencia have been a revelation in La Liga this year and Los Che recently held Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw over the weekend.
The Italian league is not over yet, but any one of Lazio, Napoli or Roma might have fancied their chances against the men from Manchester.
The German league will will come from Bayer Leverkusen, a club with a rich history in the Champions League having famously knocked United out in the semi-finals, so they’re likely to be avoided.
The Germans were also very unlucky to lose to Atletico Madrid on penalties this year.
Sporting Lisbon are a club that Man Utd fans are very familiar with and that could be a tasty tie if United were paired with them.
Three French clubs are still vying for the play-off spot and any one of Monaco, Marseille and St Etienne could potentially stand in the way of United.
Dimitar Berbatov might enjoy a return to Old Trafford.
European aristocrats and Van Gaal’s former club Ajax represent the Dutch challenge while Anderlecht are potentially the weakest ‘well known’ team.
The Turkish sides are always difficult, especially on their own ground, so Fenerbache or Besiktas might offer a nice’Welcome To Hell’ greeting for United.
There’s teams from other countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Greece also in the mix as potential banana skins lie on every turn.
So, while United fans should be happy about their inevitable top four finish, there’s absolutely no guarantee that they’ll qualify for the group stages.
Much will depend on who Van Gaal brings into the squad, Memphis Depay has already been added, but United fans will be anxious ahead of the draw for that play-off round on August 7th.
