The French avoided the big names in this draw for the group stage of the Europa League, carried out this Friday. No Manchester United or Arsenal for Monaco and Rennes, both in hat 2, nor for Nantes, resident of hat 4. OGC Nice, located in hat 3 in the Europa League Conference, could have hoped for a more draw clement.
The Monegasque club’s pool is rather open even if the atmosphere in the opposing stands promises to be fiery: Red Star Belgrade and its legendary Marakana stadium, the Hungarians from Ferencvaros, who dream of an epic until the final scheduled for Budapest, and Trabzonspor, recent champion of Turkey with always boiling supporters.
Monaco, switched back to C3 like last year after failing to qualify for C1, hopes to do better than the round of 16 lost to Braga last season (2-0, 1-1).
Two beautiful posters for Stade Rennais
For Rennes, which is the fifth European campaign in a row, there will also be a trip to Turkish soil on the menu, in Istanbul against Fenerbahçe, and a trip to Cyprus to face the modest club of Larnaca.
But the Britons will also have a very symbolic showdown to play against Ukraine’s war-stricken club Dynamo kyiv, who played their recent European preliminary rounds in Lodz, Poland. The club from the Ukrainian capital is gradually resuming its daily life with the restart of the national championship.
“It’s a bit of an exotic draw. Of course it’s not easy to move to Turkey or Cyprus, and kyiv, we don’t know yet where we will play. For the supporters and for us too, it will make us travel far in an already busy schedule, ”reacted Olivier Cloarec, president of Stade Rennais.
Beautiful people for United and Arsenal
Placed in hat 4, that of the teams with the lowest UEFA index, FC Nantes knew it was threatened in the draw. The Canaries will have to do with a strong group including Olympiakos, Qarabag and Fribourg, in this competition which starts on September 8. For the winner of the Coupe de France, who returns to Europe 18 years after participating in the Intertoto Cup, it remains to bet on the fervor of the Beaujoire stadium to hope to see the knockout phase.
Scarecrow of the group stage, Manchester United has meanwhile inherited in particular from Real Sociedad. As for the Arsenal players, back in the European Cup after a historic absence last season, they will challenge PSV Eindhoven, the Norwegians of Bodo / Glimt and Zurich in group A.
No gift for Nice
Qualified in extremis for the Europa League Conference after extra time this Thursday evening, OGC Nice finds itself in one of the rather tough groups of this C4. For their first appearance in the competition, the Aiglons will challenge the Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, the Germans of Cologne and the Czechs of FC Slovacko.