Liverpool qualified for the group stage of the Europa League courtesy of their sixth place finish in the EPL (English Premier League) and were drawn against Rubin Kazan of the Russian Federation, while Tottenham Hotspur pulled an even longer trip to Azerbaijan to play Qarabag (6,000-mile round trip).
Liverpool – managed by Brendan Rodgers – must also travel to Switzerland to play FC Sion and France where they will meet Bordeaux. Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham have been grouped with Belgian club Anderlecht and super-rich Monaco from the French league. Tottenham won the same competition in 1984 when they beat Anderlecht at a time when the cup was named the UEFA Cup.
Celtic are also in the Europa League following their 4-3 aggregate loss to FC Malmo of Sweden in a Champions League qualifier. They must face tough opposition from Ajax Amsterdam from Holland, Turkish outfit Fenerbahce and FC Molde from Norway.
West Ham United and Southampton both failed to reach the group stages of the Europa League following defeats in the qualifying stages of the competition. The Europa League is seen as a competition which plays second-fiddle to the Champions League in Europe but, as with last season, this year’s eventual winners will get automatic qualification to the elite Champions League group stages competition for the 2016-17 season.
There will be 12 groups with each team playing six games during the group stage. The top two sides in each group qualify for the first knockout round stages. The group stages begin on Thursday September 17.
