It will be hard for Olympique de Marseille in the Europa League.

During the draw for the groups of the first round of this 2021-2022 edition, Friday August 27, in Istanbul, Turkey, chance decided to place the Phocaeans in group E with three tough opponents: the Italians of Lazio Rome , the Turkish giant Galatasaray and the powerful Lokomotiv Moscow.

OM find Lazio

For the men of Jorge Sampaoli, it will be necessary to be solid to extricate themselves from this very dense group E. Lazio does not leave good memories to Ciel et Blanc: in 1999-2000, the Biancocelesti had humiliated OM in the Champions League by winning first 2-0, then 5-1 with a quadruple from Simone Inzaghi . More recently, in the first round of the 2018-2019 Europa League, Lazio again dominated Marseille twice, 2-1 and 3-1.

Galatasaray, the only club titled at European level in 2000 with the UEFA Cup (old version of the Europa League), and Lokomotiv Moscow will also be difficult opponents to tackle.

Especially since now, only the club that will finish first in the group will qualify for the knockout stages;

the second will have to play a dam with the eight clubs transferred after the first round of the Champions League, and the third will be transferred to the new Europa League Conference.

Monaco against PSV, Lyon with Gerrard's Rangers

AS Monaco, eliminated on the wire in the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday by Chakhtior Donetsk, also inherited a complicated group B with PSV Eindhoven, also released in the C1 play-offs by Benfica.

With the German Mario Götze, 2014 world champion in his ranks and keen to get back on track, the vice-champion of the Netherlands will be a serious competitor.

This will also be the case for Spanish club Real Sociedad.

The latest thief, Sturm Graz (Austria), seems a cut below.

Finally, Olympique Lyonnais appears to be the best off of the three French clubs involved.

Les Gones are in Group A with Glasgow Rangers, coached by Steven Gerrard, as well as Sparta Prague and the Danes from Bondby.

The first round matches will take place from September 16 to December 9.

The final of this 51st edition of the Europa League will take place in Seville, on May 18, 2022, at the Ramon-Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

The full draw

Group A

Olympique Lyonnais (France)

Glasgow Rangers (Scotland)

Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

Brondby IF (Denmark)

Group B

AS Monaco (France)

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Real Sociedad (Spain)

Sturm Graz (Austria)

Group C

SSC Naples (Italy)

Leicester City (England)

Spartak Moscow (Russia)

Legia Warsaw (Poland)

Group D

Olympiacos (Greece)

Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)

Fenerbahçe (Turkey)

Royal Antwerp (Belgium)

Group E

Lazio Rome (Italy)

Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Marseille Olympics (France)

Galatasaray (Turkey)

Group F

Braga (Portugal)

Red Star of Belgrade (Serbia)

Ludogorets (Bulgaria)

Midtjylland (Denmark)

Group G

Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

Celtic FC (Scotland)

Real Betis (Spain)

Ferencvaros (Hungary)

Group H

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Genk (Belgium)

West Ham (England)

Rapid Vienna (Austria)

With AFP

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