Europa League draw to set Lyon’s eight opponents on Friday | OneFootball

Lyon will discover their eight Europa League opponents on Friday, with the draw scheduled to start at 13:00.

According to Le Progres, OL hoped until the final moments of Tuesday’s play-off second leg against Fenerbahçe to be part of Thursday afternoon’s Champions League draw in Monaco, but without the required goal they return to the Europa League.

Absent from the Champions League since 2020, Lyon know the competition well, having been knocked out in the round of 16 by Celta Vigo last spring after losing to Manchester United a year earlier in the quarter-final. Their best Europa League run remains the 2017 semi-final.

Lyon’s UEFA ranking secures a Pot 1 place alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad, Benfica, Juventus, AC Milan and Olympique de Marseille. Pot 2 includes Union Saint-Gilloise, Dinamo Zagreb and Stade Rennais. Potential opponents also include Crystal Palace, Pierre Sage’s new side, in Pot 3 after ousting Celta Vigo in the spring, while Besiktas are the threat in Pot 4.

Clubs from the same country cannot meet in the first phase. Each team will face two opponents from each of the four pots containing nine sides.

The opening matchdays are set for 16 and 17 September, with the final round on 28 January. The top eight advance directly to the last 16, teams placed 9 to 24 enter the play-offs, and those ranked 25 to 36 are eliminated.

Source: Le Progres

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”