They will feel like they are in the Champions League, or almost.

OM, OL and AS Monaco were not necessarily spoiled by the draw for the Europa League, which took place on Friday noon.

The three French clubs will have to raise their level of play if they want to extricate themselves from their respective groups.

There will be great trips for everyone.

Lyon, the best draw

Of the three French, OL is perhaps the one who is doing the best in this case.

Peter Bosz's men will certainly have to beware of Steven Gerrard's Rangers, but they should logically - if at all at Lyon - outclass Sparta Prague and Brondby, which would have been tough draws before the Bosman ruling, but that was 25 years ago.

OM, welcome to hell

For Marseille it's a little more complicated.

Even a lot, a lot more.

It's simple: in the OM group only teams are used to European games, not to say the Champions League.

Galatasaray, Lokomotiv Moscow and Lazio of Rome.

Very difficult but not insurmountable, provided you play differently than last year in C1.

Monaco, a fake affordable group

If we can consider that ASM, narrowly eliminated by Shakhtar in the play-offs, at a level infinitely close to the Champions League, the same can be said of his most formidable opponent in Group B, PSV Eindhoven, out of nothing by Benfica at the same stage.

Behind, Real Sociedad finished fifth in La Liga last year and will not be let go.

On the other hand, it will be more complicated for the Sturm Graz, although the C3 is known for its unpleasant surprises.

The other groups

Group C: Napoli, Leicester, Spartak Moscow, Legia Warsaw

Group D: Olympiakos, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahçe, Royal Antwerp

Group F: Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Ludogorets, Midtjylland

Group G: Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic, Real Betis, Ferencvaros

Group H: Dinamo Zagreb, Genk, West Ham, Rapid Vienna

Sport

"Mixed Zone": Bread and little play ... A look back at the nightmarish Nice-OM evening

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