Italian and English clubs the ones to avoid for Real Sociedad, Celta and Getafe | OneFootball

According to AS, Getafe have little to fear from today’s Conference League league-phase draw at 13:00, with only Brighton, Atalanta, Monaco and Ajax, all in Pot one, posing a real threat. Despite sitting in Pot three, José Bordalás’s side will be one of the teams to avoid.

Freiburg, Europa League finalists last season, remain dangerous but have lost two key players. Manzambi has joined Aston Villa for €60 million and Röhl has moved to Everton for €25 million. Braga, who knocked out Betis in the Europa League quarter-finals and are long established as Portugal’s fourth force, have also sold Hornicek and Zalazar, leaving them weaker than last term.

Unlike the Champions League and Europa League, the Conference League draw uses six pots rather than four. Each club is paired with one opponent from every pot, not two, so the league phase features six matchdays against different rivals. That is two fewer than the other two major European competitions.

In the Europa League, before the second legs of the final qualifying round, Real Sociedad and Celta already knew which pots they would occupy for today’s league-phase draw at 12:00.

For both, the standout teams to avoid are Serie A’s Juventus and Milan, and Premier League sides Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland. Palace arrive as the reigning Conference League holders.

Source: AS

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