EUROPA LEAGUE
Three Spanish sides await their fate in Europa League draw
Friday’s draw will see 12 groups decided from 48 teams: 16 directly qualified, 10 from the Champions League group stage and 22 from playoffs.
Following Thursday’s Champions League group stage draw, Friday sees the turn of the Europa League (13:00 CET), in which the fate of three Spanish sides - Villarreal, Athletic Club and Celta – will be known.
As the 48 sides involved wait to see whether any particularly gnarly, Champions League-style groups emerge, there will be four pots, each with 12 clubs on the basis of their UEFA coefficient. As a result, each of the twelve groups will be made up of four teams, one from each Pot. Teams from the same country cannot face each other, nor can sides from Russia and Ukraine.
The group stages will be played between 15 and 29 September, 20 October, 3 and 24 November and 8 December. The draw for the next round will take place four days after the final game.