Arsenal face Sporting - four British clubs learn Europa League fate

Published on: 31 August 2018

Arsenal will play Sporting Lisbon in the group stage of the Europa League.

Unai Emery's side have been drawn in Group E of this season's competition with the Portuguese club, Qarabag of Azerbaijan and Ukrainian side Vorskla.

Chelsea, who won the competition in 2012-13, are in Group L with Greek side PAOK Salonika, BATE Borisov of Belarus and Hungarian outfit Vidi.

Celtic meet Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Rosenborg while Rangers face Rapid Vienna, Villarreal and Spartak Moscow.

The final of this season's Europa League takes place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on 29 May.

Spanish clubs have won the competition for five of the last seven seasons and Sevilla - who triumphed under Emery in 2014, 2015 and 2016 - have been drawn to face Russian side Krasnodar, Standard Liege of Belgium and Turkey's Akhisar.

Arsenal test while Chelsea travel

Arsenal will face a Sporting side decimated by players cancelling their contracts this summer following an attack by fans at the training ground last term.

But they have started this season with two league wins and a draw to sit third in the Portuguese top tier, with former Manchester United winger Nani finding the net three times.

Vorskla, winners of the Ukrainian title in 2017-18, have only reached this stage of the Europa League once before but finished bottom of their group in the 2011-12 campaign.

Qarabag have been managed by Gurban Gurbanov - who is now also in charge of the Azerbaijan national team - for a decade and competed in the Champions League last season.

More to follow.

Source: bbc.com

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