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As it happenedended1535718735

Europa League draw - LIVE: Arsenal and Chelsea learn group stage opponents plus Celtic and Rangers latest

Follow live coverage of the draw from Monte Carlo, Monaco

Jack de Menezes
Friday 31 August 2018 13:32 BST
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Who have the English clubs drawn in the Champions League?

Arsenal and Chelsea learned their Europa League fate on Friday afternoon along with Scottish Premiership sides Celtic and Rangers as the group stage draw took place in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Arsenal, who reached the semi-finals last season before losing to eventual champions Atletico Madrid, face a nightmare schedule of long-distance trips to Azerbaijan and Ukraine after being drawn against FK Qarabag and FC Vorskla Poltava, with Sporting CP making up Group E.

But the draw has been far kinder to Chelsea, who will take on PAOK, BATE Borisov and Hungarian side Vidi.

Celtic have a testing group on their hands as stablemates Salsburg and RB Leipzig are paired together along with Rosenborg in Group B, while Rangers return to European football in Group G against Villarreal, Rapid Vienna and Spartak Moscow.

Follow live coverage of the draw below...

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When and where is the draw?

The group stage draw takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Friday 31 August. It will take place at midday.

How can I watch the draw?

On BT Sport 2 from midday. You can also follow live coverage and reaction right here with The Independent.

The Europa League draw takes place on Friday

What do I need to know?

48 teams are involved in the group stage: 17 teams which automatically qualified and another 21 teams which survived the various play-off rounds. There are then six teams added that lost in the Champions League play-off round, as well as four defeated in the Champions League third qualifying round.

No team can play a club from their own country.

The pots

Pot 1: Sevilla, Arsenal, Chelsea, Zenit, Bayer Leverkusen, Dynamo Kyiv, Besiktas, Salzburg, Olympiakos, Villarreal, Anderlecht, Lazio.

Pot 2: Sporting CP, Ludogorets, FC Copenhagen, Marseille, Celtic, PAOK, AC Milan, Genk, Fenerbahce, Krasnodar, Astana, Rapid Wien.

Pot 3: Real Betis, BATE Borisov, Qarabag, Dinamo Zagreb, RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Malmo, Spartak Moscow, Standard Liege, Zurich, Bordeaux, Rennes.

Pot 4: Apollon, Rosenborg, Vorskla Poltava, Slavia Prague, Akhisar Belediyespor, Jablonec, AEK Larnaca, Vidi, Rangers, Dudelange, Spartak Trnava, Sarpsborg.

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Darren Tulett is our master of ceremonies this afternoon, and he begins by welcoming the representatives from all the teams that are in attendance.

But first, we have the small matter of handing out the Uefa Europa League Player of the Year for last season. Will it be Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godin or Dmitri Payet?

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:05
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And the winner is...ANTOINE GRIEZMANN!

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:06
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Vali Gasimov, the retired Azerbaijan footballer, brings out the Europa League trophy to put on display in front of the stage. Why is Gasimov here? That's because this year the final will be held at Baku's Olympic Stadium on 29 May, the first time that the country has held one of Europe's main finals.

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:09
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"Winter is coming"

Tulett looks delighted with that gag as he welcomes current Ajax Under-19s head coach and the former Netherlands and Ajax footballer Aron Winter, who will assist with the draw.

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:12
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Next out it's the former Inter Milan and Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo, who won this trophy in its former guise as the Uefa Cup in 1998/99 with Parma.

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:13
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It's what they're all playing for...

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:14
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Here he is, the man himself - Giorgio Marchetti! The Uefa deputy general secretary walks out with a big grin on his face, almost as big as mine as his arrival means it's time to get the draw underway! Only the 15-minute wait - not bad, Fifa should take note.

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:15
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Pot 1 is up first, here's the 12 teams about to be drawn:

Sevilla, Arsenal, Chelsea, Zenit, Bayer Leverkusen, Dynamo Kyiv, Besiktas, Salzburg, Olympiakos, Villarreal, Anderlecht, Lazio.

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:19
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Group A: Bayer Leverkusen

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:19
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Group A: Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria), Zurich (Switzerland), AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) 

Group B: Salzburg (Austria), Celtic (Scotland), Leipzig (Germany), Rosenborg (Norway) 

Group C: Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia), Copenhagen (Denmark), Bordeaux (France), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) 

Group D: Anderlecht (Belgium), Fenerbahce (Turkey), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) 

Group E: Arsenal (England), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), Qarabag (Azerbaijan), Vorskla Poltava (Ukraine) 

Group F: Olympiakos (Greece), AC Milan (Italy), Real Betis (Spain), Dudelange (Luxembourg) 

Group G: Villarreal (Spain), Rapid Vienna (Austria), Spartak Moscow (Russia), Rangers (Scotland) 

Group H: Lazio (Italy), Marseille (France), Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), Apollon Limassol (Cyprus) 

Group I: Besiktas (Turkey), Genk (Belgium), Malmo (Sweden), Sarpsborg (Norway) 

Group J: Sevilla (Spain), Krasnodar (Russia), Standard Liege (Belgium), Akhisar Belediyespor (Turkey) 

Group K: Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine), Astana (Kazakhstan), Rennes (France), Jablonec (Czech Republic) 

Group L: Chelsea (England), PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece), BATE Borisov (Belarus), Vidi (Hungary)

Jack de Menezes31 August 2018 12:19

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