Europa League draw: Celtic get AC Milan and Lille, Arsenal meet Dundalk and Rangers face Benfica

Celtic have been handed a tough Europa League group alongside AC Milan and Lille, while Arsenal will take on Irish side Dundalk.

Celtic were drawn in Group H where they will meet the Italian giants, as well as Lille and Sparta Prague.

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Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, beaten finalists in 2019, will play Rapid Vienna, Molde and Dundalk in Group B.

Dundalk defeated KI Klaksvík 3-1 in Dublin on Thursday to reach the group stages for just the second time in their history, with Shamrock Rovers the only other Irish side to make it that far in 2011.

Tottenham face trips to Bulgaria, Austria and Belgium to play Ludogorets, LASK and Royal Antwerp.

Having come up against Porto in the group stages last season, Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side will again travel to Portugal to face Benfica, as well as Standard Liege and Lech Poznan.

Leicester also meet Portuguese opposition after being drawn in Group G alongside Braga, AEK Athens and Ukranian side Zorya Luhansk.

Before the draw, Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku was named UEFA Europa League player of the season 2019/20 after scoring seven tournament goals in the campaign.

Europa League draw in full:

Group A: Roma, Young Boys, Cluj, CSKA Sofia

Group B: Arsenal, Rapid Vienna, Molde, Dundalk

Group C: Bayer Leverkusen, Slavia Prague, Hapoel Be’er-Sheva, Nice

Group D: Benfica, Standard Liege, Rangers, Lech Poznan

Group E: PSV Eindhoven, PAOK, Granada, Omonia

Group F: Napoli, Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, NK Rijeka

Group G: Braga, Leicester, AEK Athens, Zorya Luhansk

Group H: Celtic, Sparta Prague, AC Milan, Lille

Group I: Villareal, Qarabag, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor

Group J: Tottenham, Ludogorets, LASK, Royal Antwerp

Group K: CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Wolfsberg

Group L: Gent, Red Star Belgrade, Hoffenheim, Slovan Liberec

Gerrard expects Rangers to reach Europa League knock-out stages

Steven Gerrard claims he would be disappointed if Rangers did not repeat last year’s feat and reach the Europa League knock-out stage.

He said: “I think the challenge is to try and get out of the group, of course it is. No-one will be shouting from the rooftops because we have to respect the opposition that are in the group.

“I would be disappointed if we don’t get out of the group because the players have shown over the last couple of years that we have got a level in Europe that we are a tough nut to crack and we have shown amazing quality going forward as
well.

“We will be a good contest for anyone in the group, home or away, and I am really looking forward to the challenge.”

When does the football start?

The group stages get underway in the week of October 19, with six rounds of group games running through to mid-December.

• Matchday 1: October 22
• Matchday 2: October 29
• Matchday 3: November 5
• Matchday 4: November 26
• Matchday 5: December 3
• Matchday 6: December 10

Whoever is lucky enough to go all the way will go head to head at the Stadion Energa Gdansk in Poland on May 26 next year. Seville, the prospective 2021 host, will now host the 2022 event.

Any other business?

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will not be introduced for the group phase, as was the original plan. It will still be used in the knockout stage, with introduction for the group stage in 2021/22.

When are the other draws?

• Round of 32 draw: December 14
• Round of 16 draw: February 26
• Quarter-final and semi-final draws: March 19

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Europa League draw: Celtic get AC Milan and Lille, Arsenal meet Dundalk and Rangers face Benfica