After yesterday’s Champions League draw, today was the turn of the Europa League.
British and Irish involvement in the group stages is limited this year, with just three clubs making it this far.
Manchester United and Southampton earned places in the group stage by virtue of their Premier League positions, coupled with United’s FA Cup win, while Dundalk are still in Europe despite dropping out of the Champions League with a play-off defeat to Legia Warsaw.
West Ham, however will not be joining them after their surprise defeat to Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League play-off round.
FT: Astra go through 2-1 on aggregate âš’ #WHUAST pic.twitter.com/ZeyqaVnS26
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 25, 2016
Manchester United are arguably the highest-profile club in all of the Europa League, and went into the draw as top seeds.
They have been handed a bit of a test, with matches against a Fenerbahçe team including former Old Trafford favourite Robin van Persie, as well as Feyenoord and Ukrainian club Zorya Luhansk, who are in the group stage for the first time.
Claude Puel’s Saints will travel to Milan to face Ronald de Boer’s Internazionale, 33-time Czech champions Sparta Prague and Hapoel Be’er-Sheva, who ran Celtic close in their Champions League qualifier.
Dundalk have a strong group, though it could be stronger. Zenit St Petersburg represent the toughest task facing the reigning League of Ireland champions, though they might fancy themselves to provide a stern test for AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands and Israeli side Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Elsewhere, there are some tasty group stage ties across the continent, including a repeat of last season’s quarter-final between Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga.
Here’s the draw in full.
The official result of the #UELdraw pic.twitter.com/5Aw0eSrGaf
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) August 26, 2016
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