Having been knocked out in the semi finals by eventual winners Atletico Madrid last season, Arsenal are to face Sporting CP, Azerbaijan’s Qarabag and Vorskla from Ukraine in their group that will involve some heavy midweek travelling as the 48 teams competing in the Europa League group stage in 2018/19 have discovered their fate after the draw was made by UEFA officials and special guests in Monaco on Friday.
Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan were among the biggest names, while the likes of Bayer Lerverkusen, 2008 winners Zenit St Petersburg, Lazio, Olympiacos, 2018 finalists Marseille and others will all have their eye on the trophy and the Champions League place on offer.
Chelsea, who haven’t played in the competition since lifting the trophy in 2013, must get the better of Greek side PAOK, Belarusian champions BATE Borisov and Hungarian champions MOL Vidi if they are to progress to the knockout rounds. For Milan, the challenge is posed by Olympiacos, Real Betis, and Luxembourg’s Dudelange.
Scottish champions Celtic were drawn in Group B alongside two clubs owned by energy drink giant Red Bull – RB Salzburg, who reached the semi finals last season, and RB Leipzig. Also in that tough group are perennial Norwegian champions Rosenborg. Steven Gerrard’s Rangers also have a very challenging group with Villarreal, Rapid Vienna and Spartak Moscow standing in their way.
2018/19 UEFA Europa League Group Stage Draw in Full:
Group ABayer Leverkusen, Ludogorets Razgrad, Zurich, AEK LarnacaGroup BRB Salzburg, Celtic, RB Leipzig, RosenborgGroup CZenit St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Bordeaux, Slavia PragueGroup DAnderlecht, Fenerbahce, Dinamo Zagreb, Spartak TrnavaGroup EArsenal, Sporting CP, Qarabag, VorsklaGroup FOlympiacos, AC Milan, Real Betis, DudelangeGroup GVillarreal, Rapid Vienna, Spartak Moscow, RangersGroup HLazio, Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt, Apollon LimassolGroup IBesiktas, Genk, Malmo, SarpsborgGroup JSevilla, Krasnodar, Standard Liege, AkhisarsporGroup KDynamo Kyiv, Astana, Rennes, JablonecGroup LChelsea, PAOK, BATE Borisov, MOL Vidi
The group stage will begin with matchday one on Thursday 20th September. Games with be played throughout October and November, with matchday six on Thursday 13th December. The final of this year’s competition will take place on Wednesday 29th May in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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