The three Premier League clubs in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League were given contrasting fortunes as the draw for the the group stage was made, with Brighton & Hove Albion arguably given the toughest challenge.
Premier League clubs' UEL groups
| Group A | Group B | Group E |
|---|---|---|
| West Ham | Ajax | Liverpool |
| Olympiacos | Marseille | LASK |
| Freiburg | Brighton | Royale Union Saint-Gilloise |
| Backa Topola | AEK | Toulouse |
In their European debut, after last season's sixth-place finish in the Premier League, Brighton will have been handed fixtures against experienced European practitioners in Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens.
Group B in the @EuropaLeague, let's go! 👊 pic.twitter.com/lb9O9g1WvY
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 1, 2023
Liverpool, back in the competition for the first time since 2016, have been given a more favourable group, as they take on Austrian club LASK, Belgium's Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse, of France.
There could be a family reunion when Liverpool play Union Saint-Gilloise, as Alexis Mac Allister's brother Kevin Mac Allister plays for them.
Our @EuropaLeague group is set ✅ pic.twitter.com/eZTNgi7etc
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 1, 2023
The Belgian team's players seemed happy when they learnt that they would be playing Liverpool, as the club posted a reaction from them.
— Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (@UnionStGilloise) September 1, 2023
West Ham United, who qualified after winning last season's UEFA Europa Conference League, have been paired with Olympiacos, of Greece, German club Freiburg and Serbian team Backa Topola.
Here's how Group A looks, Hammers! 🇪🇺#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/XA9PIraPA7
— West Ham United (@WestHam) September 1, 2023
Dates for UEL group stage matches
Thursday 21 September
17:45 LASK v Liverpool
20:00 Brighton v AEK Athens
20:00 West Ham v Backa Topola
Thursday 5 October
17:45 Freiburg v West Ham
17:45 Marseille v Brighton
20:00 Liverpool v Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
Thursday 26 October
17:45 Olympiacos v West Ham
20:00 Brighton v Ajax
20:00 Liverpool v Toulouse
Thursday 9 November
17:45 Ajax v Brighton
17:45 Toulouse v Liverpool
20:00 West Ham v Olympiacos
Thursday 30 November
17:45 AEK Athens v Brighton
17:45 Backa Topola v West Ham
20:00 Liverpool v LASK
Thursday 14 December
17:45 Royale Union Saint-Gilloise v Liverpool
20:00 West Ham v Freiburg
20:00 Brighton v Marseille
The final will take place on 22 May 2024 at Dublin Arena.
Europa Conference League draw
Aston Villa have been drawn against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, who reached the semi-finals of the competition last season, Poland's Legia Warsaw and Bosnia & Herzegovina outfit HSK Zrinjski.
Unai Emery's side booked their place in the group stage after an emphatic 8-0 aggregate win over Hibernian in the playoff round.
Six big games in #UECL Group E. 👊
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 1, 2023
Full fixture details will be confirmed in due course. pic.twitter.com/Gc5qAOwbBj
Dates for UEL group stage matches
Thursday 21 September
17:45 Legia Warsaw v Aston Villa
Thursday 5 October
20:00 Aston Villa v HSK Zrinjski
Thursday 26 October
17:45 AZ Alkmaar v Aston Villa
Thursday 9 November
20:00 Aston Villa v AZ Alkmaar
Thursday 30 November
20:00 Aston Villa v Legia Warsaw
Thursday 14 December
17:45 HSK Zrinjski v Aston Villa
The Agia Sofia Stadium in Athens will host the final which will take place on 29 May 2024.