Europa League draw: Bournemouth, Sunderland get glamour ties with AC Milan | Football News
Europa League Draw Features Glamour Ties for English Clubs
Bournemouth and Sunderland are set for high-profile matches against AC Milan following the Europa League draw conducted on Friday. This season marks Bournemouth’s inaugural participation in a European tournament, having secured a sixth-place finish in the previous Premier League season. The club will host AC Milan, a seven-time European champion, at its venue on the south coast of England.
Under the management of Marco Rose, Bournemouth will also welcome Czech side Viktoria Plzen, Austria’s Sturm Graz, and Israeli champions Hapoel Beersheba in their home fixtures. Their away schedule includes matches against Spain’s Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo, as well as visits to Sparta Prague and last year’s Norwegian Cup winners, Lillestrom.
Sunderland, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will experience European football for the first time since 1973. Sunderland supporters can anticipate a trip to San Siro to face AC Milan. The team will also visit Belgian club Anderlecht, while hosting Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb, and Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia. Additionally, they will encounter two Polish teams, Jagiellonia Bialystok and Lech Poznan, and travel to meet Torreense, a second-division club that triumphed in last season’s Portuguese Cup.
Torreense, based in Torres Vedras, approximately 50 kilometers north of Lisbon, will play its European matches at the Estadio do Algarve, situated near Faro.
Crystal Palace, last season’s UEFA Conference League winners, join the Europa League as well. Coached by Pierre Sage, the South London club will face Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Lech Poznan, and Hoffenheim at home, while away matches include trips to Lyon, Salzburg, Jagiellonia Bialystok, and Istanbul to play against Besiktas.
Celtic, after a disappointing exit from the Champions League due to a loss against LASK of Austria, will compete in the Europa League. The Scottish champions will host Marseille and visit Benfica, along with matches against Celta Vigo, Besiktas, and Torreense.
Other notable teams in this season’s Europa League include Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus, the latter being a three-time winner of the tournament’s predecessor, the UEFA Cup.
UEFA is expected to announce fixture dates for the league phase over the weekend, with the first matches scheduled for September 16 and 17. The final of this season’s competition is set to take place in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 26, 2027. Last season, Aston Villa secured the title, defeating Freiburg in the finals held in Istanbul.
Brighton and Hove Albion Represent Premier League in Conference League
In the Conference League, Brighton and Hove Albion will represent the Premier League, having seen English teams dominate the tournament in three of the last four years. Their standout match in the league phase will be at home against Monaco, and they will also host Romanian champions Universitatea Craiova and Lithuania’s Kauno Zalgiris.
Brighton’s away matches include encounters with Panathinaikos, Getafe, and the Czech side Jablonec, which eliminated Rangers in the playoffs.
In addition to Brighton, Atalanta, Ajax, and Freiburg are among the other teams in this year’s Conference League. Scottish club Hearts will play host to Monaco and visit Afghanistan’s Trabzonspor, along with a match in Switzerland against Thun.
The Conference League final is scheduled for June 2, 2027, in Istanbul, at the home of Besiktas.
