Real Sociedad face Juventus and Lyon in testing Europa League phase draw | OneFootball

Real Sociedad face a daunting Europa League league phase after drawing Juventus and Lyon, with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth also in their path. According to Diario Vasco, the club learned their eight opponents on Friday as they return to European competition.

They will also meet Viktoria Plzen, Union Saint-Gilloise, Torreense and Lillestrom. UEFA said the fixture list will be confirmed by 30 August.

Anoeta will host Lyon, Viktoria Plzen, Bournemouth and Torreense. Away trips are to Juventus, Union Saint-Gilloise, Crystal Palace and Lillestrom.

Real have faced both Juventus and Lyon before, taking on Juventus in the 2003/04 Champions League groups when they lost at Delle Alpi and drew at Anoeta. Delle Alpi was demolished in 2009, so they will return to the Juventus Stadium, where they hosted Manchester United in 2020/21 behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus crisis. They also met Lyon in the Champions League in 2003/04 and 2013/14.

They will renew acquaintances with Viktoria Plzen after an away defeat in their most recent European season. Bournemouth and Crystal Palace will be first-time opponents in official competition. On paper, Torreense of Portugal’s second tier, who qualified by winning the Cup, and Norway’s Lillestrom look more manageable.

Europa League groups were scrapped two seasons ago, with all 36 teams now ranked in a single table after playing eight opponents. The top eight go straight to the round of 16, places nine to 24 enter two-legged play-offs, and 25th or lower are eliminated. Real will aim to go deep, with the final set for 26 May in Frankfurt.

Source: Diario Vasco

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