[ad_1]
Celtic have faced a tough Europa League group alongside AC Milan and Lille, while Arsenal take on Irish Dundalk.
Celtic were selected in Group H, where they will face the Italian giants, as well as Lille and Sparta from Prague.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, a finalist defeated in 2019, will play Rapid Vienna, Molde and Dundalk in Group B.
Dundalk defeated KI Klaksvík 3-1 in Dublin on Thursday to reach the group stage for the second time in their history, with Shamrock Rovers being the only other Irish team to go this far in 2011.
Irish Dundalk have qualified for the group stage for the second time in their history
Tottenham face trips to Bulgaria, Austria and Belgium to play against Ludogorets, LASK and Royal Antwerp.
After facing Porto in the group stage last season, Steven Gerrard’s Rangers team will travel to Portugal again to face Benfica, Standard Liege and Lech Poznan.
Rangers reached the group stage with victory over Galatasaray
Leicester will also face Portuguese opposition after being tied in Group G alongside Braga, AEK Athens and Ukraine’s Zorya Luhansk.
Before the draw, Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku was named the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League player of the season after scoring seven goals in the tournament last season.
Complete Europa League draw:
Group A: Roma, Young Boys, Cluj, CSKA Sofia
Group B: Arsenal, Rapid Vienna, Molde, Dundalk
Group C: Bayer Leverkusen, Slavia Prague, Hapoel Be’er-Sheva, Nice
Group D: Benfica, Standard Liege, Rangers, Lech Poznan
Group E: PSV Eindhoven, PAOK, Grenada, Omonia
Group F: Naples, Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, NK Rijeka
Group G: Braga, Leicester, AEK Athens, Zorya Lugansk
Group H: Celtic, Sparta Prague, AC Milan, Lille
Group I: Villarreal, Qarabag, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor
Group J: Tottenham, Ludogorets, LASK, Royal Antwerp
Group K: CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Wolfsberg
Group L: Gent, Red Star of Belgrade, Hoffenheim, Slovan Liberec
When does football start?
The group stage begins the week of October 19, with six rounds of group play through mid-December.
- Matchday 1: October 22
- Matchday 2: October 29
- Matchday 3: November 5
- Matchday 4: November 26
- Matchday 5: December 3
- Matchday 6: December 10
Whoever is lucky enough to make it all the way will meet at Stadion Energa Gdansk in Poland on May 26 next year. Seville, the possible 2021 venue, will now host the 2022 event.
Any other business?
The video assistant referee (VAR) will not show up for the group stage, as was the original plan. It will still be used in the knockout stage, with the introduction for the group stage in 2021/22.
When are the other draws?
- Round of 32 draw: December 14
- Round of 16 draw: February 26
- Quarter-final and semi-final draws: March 19
[ad_2]
