Europa League draw in full as Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton watch on closely
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Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton have all watched on closely as the Europa League playoff draw has been completed on Monday.
The three English sides weren't part of the draw in Switzerland as they all topped their groups – earning them passage to the Last 16. Monday's draw saw the eight teams who finished second in the group stage, and the eight teams who finished third in the Champions League group stage.
And the winners of each of those clashes will make their way into the next round, where the English sides will be waiting. Scottish side Rangers will also be interested viewers, as they also topped their group.
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The play-off system was introduced ahead of the 21/22 season. Before, teams who finished top of their Europa League group would enter the Last 32 of the competition along with the runners-up and those dropping into the tournament from the Champions League.
However, the system was changed to add an extra reward to those sides who topped the group.
What do you think of the Europa League draw? Let us know in the comments section
AC Milan, who finished third at the expense of Newcastle in an exciting end to their Champions League group, were one of the big teams to drop down to the Europa League – and they'll face Stade Rennais. Lens, Benfica, Braga, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Shakhtar and Young Boys also dropped down.
Qarabag, from Azerbaijan, are one of the European minnows who have made it through to the knockouts, and they'll face Braga. The Azerbaijani side are from a disputed region, with Armenia also claiming the land, and they haven't played at home since the 1990s.
Jose Mourinho's Roma will also be feeling confident they could go far in the competition, despite finishing runners up to Slavia Prague. The Italian side were drawn against Feyenoord.
Aston Villa also found themselves in the same boat for the Europa Conference League play-off draw – after they also topped of their group.
Alongside the Europa League and Europa Conference League, the Champions League Last 16 was also drawn – with Manchester City facing Copenhagen and Arsenal drawn against Porto.
Europa League playoff draw in full:
Feyenoord vs AS Roma
AC Milan vs Stade Rennais
RC Lens vs Freiburg
Young Boys vs Sporting Lisbon
Benfica vs Toulouse
Braga vs Qarabag
Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille
- Europa League
- Liverpool FC
- West Ham FC
- Brighton Hove Albion FC
- AC Milan FC
- AS Roma FC
- Rangers FC
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