Europa Conference League draw LIVE: West Ham learn group stage opponents
Manchester United and Arsenal found out their Europa League fate, as West Ham did likewise in the Conference League
Manchester United have drawn Spanish side Real Sociedad, Moldovan champions Sheriff and Cypriot minnows Omonia in the Europa League group stages, meanwhile, Arsenal have drawn PSV Eindhoven, Bodø/Glimt and FC Zurich.
Winners of the competition in 2017, United are back in the Europa League having failed to qualify for the Champions League last season. On their last tournament appearance in 2020/21, they reached the final under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but lost to Villarreal on penalties in Gdasnk.
In terms of the Gunners’ opponents, Dutch side PSV, who are managed by former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, were knocked out by Rangers in the Champions League play-offs.
Van Nistelrooy was involved in several high-tempered clashes with Arsenal during his playing career, notably with former Gunners defender Martin Keown, when the club’s rivalry with Manchester United was at its peak.
The Europa League draw was followed by the Conference League draw, where West Ham were placed ina group with Romanian side FCSB, Belgium’s Anderlecht and Silkeborg of Denmark.
Follow live updates from the Europa Conference League draw, below:
Who is in Pot 4 for the Europa League group stage draw?
Finally, Pot 4 contains central European teams such as Zürich and Sturm Graz as well as a pair of Cypriot teams in the form of AEK Larnaca and Omonoia.
Nantes are the Ligue 1 representatives, Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise have dropped into the Europa League after being defeated by Rangers in Champions League qualifying and a trip to Trabzonspor in Turkey certainly won’t be easy.
Pot 4
Nantes (FRA)
HJK Helsinki (FIN)
Sturm Graz (AUT)
AEK Larnaca (CYP)
Omonoia (CYP)
Zürich (SUI)
Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
Trabzonspor (TUR)
Who is in Pot 3 for the Europa League group stage draw?
Two German clubs reside in Pot 3, with Union Berlin and Freiburg the teams in question, while Rel Betis provide Spanish representation.
Long trips to Turkey (Fenerbahce), Hungary (Ferencváros) or Moldova (Sheriff) are an option, as is Scandinavia thanks to the presence of Midtjylland and Bodø/Glimt.
Pot 3
Sheriff (MDA)
Real Betis (ESP)
Midtjylland (DEN)
Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
Ferencváros (HUN)
Union Berlin (GER)
Freiburg (GER)
Fenerbahçe (TUR)
Who is in Pot 2 for the Europa League group stage draw?
Pot 2 sees multiple representatives from both Netherlands and France with Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Rennes and Monaco providing potentially shorter trips but tougher matches should the English clubs be drawn against them.
Real Sociedad will also be no pushovers, while you can’t imagine that Erik ten Hag or Mikel Arteta would relish a Thursday night trip to Azerbaijan, even if Qarabag are one of the weaker Pot 2 sides on paper. Malmo and Ludogorets may provide a nice compromise between distance and on-pitch quality from this pot.
Pot 2
Feyenoord (NED)
Rennes (FRA)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Monaco (FRA)
Real Sociedad (ESP)
Qarabağ (AZE)
Malmö (SWE)
Ludogorets (BUL)
Who is in Pot 1 for the Europa League group stage draw?
As with the Champions League draw yesterday, the Europa League group stage draw sees teams divided into four pots, with one team from each pot making up a group. Teams from the same country cannot be drawn together.
Pot 1 is where a lot of the big-hitters in this year’s competition reside. The two Premier League representatives in the draw - Manchester United and Arsenal - are in this pot, as are the two Serie A teams from Rome in the form of Roma and Lazio. The likes of Crvena Zvezda and Dynamo Kyiv, who won’t be playing their home game in Kyiv due to the war in Ukraine, bring an Eastern European flavour to the pot.
Pot 1
Roma (ITA)
Manchester United (ENG)
Arsenal (ENG)
Lazio (ITA)
Braga (POR)
Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Olympiacos (GRE)
When is the Europa League draw and how can I watch?
The Europa League draw will take place from 12pm BST today in Istanbul, Turkey - the same location for yesterday’s Champions League group stage draw.
Fans will be able to watch the event on BT Sport and an online stream will be available through the broadcaster’s YouTube channel. Alternatively, you can watch on UEFA’s website or YouTube channel
When is the Europa Conference League draw?
The journey to the Fortuna Arena in Prague begins in this week’s Europa Conference League.
Roma won the inaugural edition of the competition, which also secured qualification for this season’s Europa League in addition to the trophy after Nicolo Zaniolo’s winner over Feyenoord.
The draw will see 32 teams drawn into eight groups of four, made up of 22 Europa Conference League play-off winners and 10 sides dropping down from Europa League play-offs.
David Moyes will hope to take West Ham as far as possible in pursuit of silverware, after the heartache in the Europa League last season against Frankfurt.
Here’s all you need to know about the draw, including what teams will play this season and which pots they have been designated in.
What time is the Europa League draw today?
The Europa League draw takes place this afternoon with both Arsenal and Manchester United set to learn their group stage opponents.
Eintracht Frankfurt were the winners last season, beating Rangers in the final, while Jose Mourinho’s Roma will be among the favourites after winning the Conference League.
Arsenal are back in European competition after a one-year absence, with Mikel Arteta’s side narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification to rivals Tottenham.
United will feature in the Europa League under Erik ten Hag. They were defeated in the final by Villarreal two seasons ago, and also reached the semi-finals the previous year.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Europa League draw today.
What time is the Europa League draw today?
Europa League group stage draw
Welcome to The Independent’s live blog of the Europa League group stage draw. Stick with us for updates as Manchester United and Arsenal learn their opponents and fixtures for this season’s competition. The Premier League clubs are among the top seeds ahead of the draw, with both reaching the latter stages of the tournament in recent years.
Arsenal are back in European competition after a one-year absence while United return to the Europa League for the first time since being defeated in the final by Villarreal two seasons ago. They will be looking to emulate West Ham’s run last campaign, as well as Rangers - who reached the final only to be defeated by Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.
United and Arsenal will be among the favourites to win the tournament, as well as Jose Mourinho’s Roma and the likes of PSV Eindhoven, and Monaco.
The Europa League draw will be followed by the Conference League draw, which will feature West Ham following their victory over Viborg in the play-offs.
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