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Laurens: Arsenal & Man United's UEL draws not easy (1:37)

The draw for the group stage of the Europa League brought about reactions from two people. 1:45.

2:56 PM ET

If they're to advance from the group stage, both Manchester United and Arsenal will have to play well.

The draw has Man United facing a tough group.

Real Sociedad, who finished sixth in LaLiga last season, will be one of the teams Manchester United will play. PSV Eindhoven lost to Rangers in the playoffs in the midweek and will travel to the Netherlands to play a game, as well as to the northern tip of Norway to play a game.

Despite the loss of Alexander Isak, Real Sociedad still have a talented squad, with promising young talent like forward Mohamed-Ali Cho, and established internationals like Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal. The team plays attacking, passing football and their manager, Imanol Alguacil, who took them to their first Spanish Cup win in 33 years in 2020 is doing a good job.

Erik ten Hag and Man United should get through their group stage, but PSV & Co. won't make it easy. Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

The Sheriff were one of the surprise teams in the competition. They shocked the football world when they beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, only to finish third in their group and lose in the last round of the playoffs. They are not as good as a year ago. Stjepan Tomas did not do well when he was in Turkey. The toughest thing for their opponents will be the trip to Transnistria.

The weakest team in the group is Omonia Nicosia, coached by Neil Lennon, but they have a passionate travelling support and some experienced players like Adam Lang and Adam Matthews.

In terms of type of opponent, the group is quite similar to United's. After narrowly being knocked out of the playoffs by Rangers, PSV will be eager to impress and will be looking to make a statement. In his first season on the bench, he will come back to England, where he had many successful years as a player at Manchester United, and he has a team that can compete. He has a team that played well in the Dutch Super Cup.

The captain and leader of the team is Luuk De Jong, but the others are dangerous. There will be a special atmosphere at the Stadion.

Bodo/Glimt are hard to beat at home, beating Mourinho's Roma twice during the UEFA Europa Conference League last season. It should be a tricky trip for Arsenal, too. EPA/Fredrik Varfjell

Bodo is located in the far north of Norway. The Norwegian champion was beaten by Zagreb in the playoffs for the European title. The logistical challenge of playing in a small stadium on a plastic pitch makes it difficult for visiting teams to focus on their task at hand. They both lost there last year.

Despite losing some of their best players in the past 18 months, Kjetil Knudsen is doing a great job as manager and they will be hard to beat at home.

The weakest team in the group is FCZURICH. Hoffenheim replaced the manager who got them there with Franco Foda after they won the Swiss league. They are dead last in the Swiss Super League and the only team without a win. They were able to keep their best player, Wilfried Gnonto, who made his Italy debut in the Nations League. It could be a challenge to escape this group or it could be a serious challenge.