The Europa League round of 32 and 16 draws have been completed in Nyon, Switzerland today and all four Premier League representatives face interesting ties.
Chelsea, who dropped out of the Champions League into the second tiered competition, will face Sparta Prague in the round of 32, while a potential meeting with tournament holders Ajax or Steaua Bucharest awaits them if they get through.
Meanwhile, Liverpool face a lengthy trip to Russia to go up against Zenit St. Petersburg and Newcastle United will also rack up air miles with a visit to Ukraine to play Metalist.
Tottenham Hotspur could potentially meet Inter Milan in the final 16 but that is only if they overcome Lyon in two legs.
The first-leg ties of the round of 32 will be played on February 14, while the first tie of the round of 16 should commence on March 7.
Hello all! Here we are again for another highly anticipated draw. This time, we're focusing on the second tier of European football - the Europa League.
We have four Premier League clubs in this draw. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have made the knockout rounds after qualifying from their respective groups, while Chelsea have also entered the competition after dropping out of the Champions League.
Let's have a look at the two groups then!
Group winners/CL drop-outs:
Liverpool (ENG)
Viktoria Plzen (CZE)
Fenerbahce (TUR)
Bordeaux (FRA)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM)
Dnipro (UKR)
Genk (BEL)
Rubin Kazan (RUS)
Lyon (FRA)
Lazio (ITA)
Metalist (UKR)
Hannover (GER)
Chelsea (ENG)
Cluj (ROM)
Olympiacos (GRE)
Benfica (POR)
Runners-up/CL drop-outs:
Anzhi (RUS)
Atletico Madrid (SPA)
Borussia Monchengladbach (GER)
Newcastle (ENG)
Stuttgart (GER)
Napoli (ITA)
Basle (SWI)
Inter Milan (ITA)
Sparta Prague (CZE)
Tottenham (ENG)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Levante (SPA)
Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
Zenit (RUS)
Ajax (HOL)
BATE (BLR)
Anzhi (RUS)
Atletico Madrid (SPA)
Borussia Monchengladbach (GER)
Newcastle (ENG)
Stuttgart (GER)
Napoli (ITA)
Basle (SWI)
Inter Milan (ITA)
Sparta Prague (CZE)
Tottenham (ENG)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Levante (SPA)
Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
Zenit (RUS)
Ajax (HOL)
BATE (BLR)
The process has been explained in the intro above but just to remind you that that first knockout rounds do not permit teams from the same country to go up against each other. However, the round of 16 draw, which will take place after the first 32 are selected, is basically a free-for-all and any team can go head to head.
Liverpool and Chelsea are in the same pot because the Reds topped their respective group, while the Blues were one of the four better Champions League drop-outs. They were deemed 'better' due to the points they received for finishing third in their group.
Meanwhile, Tottenham and Newcastle finished second in their Europa groups, which indicates why they are in the remaining pot. Are we all clear? Right, we're just minutes away from the first draw!
They're ready to go in Nyon, Switzerland. Here we go!
Round of 32 - Match 1: BATE vs. Fenerbahce
Round of 32 - Match 2: Inter vs. Cluj
Round of 32 - Match 3: Levante vs. Olympiakos
Round of 32 - Match 4: Zenit vs. Liverpool
Round of 32 - Match 5: Dynamo Kiev vs. Bordeaux
Round of 32 - Match 6: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Benfica
Round of 32 - Match 7: Newcastle vs. Metalist
Round of 32 - Match 8: Stuttgart vs. Genk
Round of 32 - Match 9: Atletico Madrid vs. Rubin Kazan
Round of 32 - Match 10: Ajax vs. Steaua Bucharest
Round of 32 - Match 11: Basle vs. Dnipro
Round of 32 - Match 12: Anzhi vs. Hannover
Round of 32 - Match 13: Sparta Prague vs. Chelsea
Round of 32 - Match 14: Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Lazio
Round of 32 - Match 15: Tottenham vs. Lyon
Round of 32 - Match 16: Napoli vs. Viktoria Plzen
So that completes the round of 32 and we are now getting the round of 16 underway. This means that two matches will be drawn together and the winners of the respective games will fight for a place in the quarter-finals. Are we clear? Here we go then!
Round of 16: Napoli or Viktoria Plzen vs. BATE or Fenerbahce
Round of 16: Bayer Leverkusen or Benfica vs. Dynamo Kiev or Bordeaux
Round of 16: Anzhi or Hannover vs. Newcastle or Metalist
Round of 16: Stuttgart or Genk vs. Borussia Monchengladbach or Lazio
Round of 16: Tottenham or Lyon vs. Inter or Cluj
Round of 16: Levante or Olympiakos vs. Atletico Madrid or Rubin Kazan
Round of 16: Basle or Dnipro vs. Zenit or Liverpool
Round of 16: Ajax or Steaua Bucharest vs. Sparta Prague or Chelsea
So there we have it! Current European champions Chelsea will have to overcome Sparta Prague in order to face a potential clash against Steaua Bucharest or tough Dutch opponents Ajax.
Tottenham have a difficult campaign ahead as they need to take on Lyon over two legs, which means that Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will return to his former club for the first time since leaving the Ligue 1 outfit in the summer.
If Andre Villas-Boas's men manage to secure a place in the final 16, then they could go up against Italian outfit Inter Milan or Cluj, who dropped into the Europa League after failing to qualify from their group with Manchester United.
Liverpool probably won't be too thrilled with their round of 32 draw. The Merseyside outfit will have to travel to Russia for their first leg against Zenit St. Petersburg and let's not forget the match itself. It'll be tough for Brendan Rodgers's men as they'll have to deal with striker Hulk, who completed a big-money move to the Russian club from Porto in the summer.
If the Reds see through their two-leg tie with Zenit, then they could either face Swiss side Basle or complete another long trip to Dnipro, who are based in Ukraine.
Newcastle complete the Premier League contingent in the competition. The Magpies also face a lengthy trip after they drew Ukraine side Metalist in the round of 32, while a clash against big spenders Anzhi Mahachkala or Hannover awaits Alan Pardew's side if they manage to get through to the final 16.
Tottenham director of football administration Darren Eales told Sky Sports News: "It's a tough draw. Lyon [are] doing well in French league. I think it's the first time in nine years they haven't been in Champions League at this stage. Good trip for the fans because it's not too far away."
Eales was also speaking about goalkeeper Lloris's return to the French outfit. He added: "Lloris will be excited about going back to his old team and playing against them. We managed to go unbeaten through the group stages and we want to do well in the competition."
Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas has had his say over facing Lyon on the next round. The Portuguese coach told the club's official Twitter page: Andre: "It's a big game. Lyon are a club with many trophies and are a top team. It's a huge fixture and will fuel excitement."
Not only will Lloris be returning to his former club, Chelsea shot-stopper Petr Cech will visit Sparta Prague for the first time since leaving the club in 2002. I'm sure Blues interim boss Rafael Benitez will be hoping for some tips from the keeper.
So, the European fixtures for next year are all completed. There's some interesting meetings coming up and it all gets underway again in February. Thanks for joining our Sports Mole coverage and if you want a reminder of how the Champions League round of 16 draw unfolded, catch up here.
