Source: Daily_Mail
EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW: Everton face giants Benfica, Fulham land Roma and Celtic to play Hamburg
14.00: I think it's time to call time on this humble missive - you've got know when to hold em and know when to fold em. Thank you for your company and correspondence - remember to join us if you can when we bring you our comprehensive Premier League coverage over the weekend. Good day to you.
13.51: By the way the first matches in the Europa League group stages will take place in the week commencing September 14, and will finish in the middle of December.
13.42: If you have just tuned in (hangover from my days working in the wireless game) these are the groups involving British clubs.
Europa League Group C:
Hamburg
CELTIC
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Rapid Vienna
Europa League Group E:
Roma
Basel
FULHAM
CSKA Sofia
Europa League Group I:
Benfica
EVERTON
AEK Athens
BATE Borisov
13.34: I haven't heard from any Fulham fans since the draw. What a delightful prospect the games against Roma provide.
13.31: I am pleased with the draw Nick as a celt, I must add of all the british sides in the draw celtic do have the far superior pedigree taking into account recent exploits in the champions league (juve , porto, man utd and Ac milan all beaten in glasgow) and our overall european pedigree (3 final appearances and one trophy) mean that a last 4 spot is well within our grasp. I believe that a top 32 finish for fulham and Everton would be a great effort and would truly reflect their respective european calibre. HAIL HAIL! Andrew Scott
Bit harsh on Everton Andrew, especially with their 1985 win and all but nobody could dispute Celtic's pedigree. I was at the match against Manchester United last November, and what a special place Celtic Park is on those big nights. For taking the time and trouble to write in, I offer you this as a reward.
RANGERS FANS: LOOK AWAY NOW ...
13.25: Nick, greetings from warm sunny Thailand ! great draw for EVERTON... thats a group of life ! As well as going all the way to the final in Hamburg in May, we can also take a look at the new Beatles museum thats recently opened in Hamburg. Cheers. Tony Williams, Pattaya Thailand
Cheers to you too Tony. Have an ice cream for me.
13.20: Hi Nick, this Andrew Sperling must have lost his marbles, if he thinks Everton are better than Celtic. They are a small club who should be glad they have even made it through to the group stages. Decky Campbell
Hello Mr Campbell. I don't think Everton are a small club, but I must admit I was a little taken aback by Andrew's comments. I guess it's all about opinions though isn't it, this silly game?
13.15: Hi Nick. Thanks for the draw. I'm an Everton fan, who are BATE Borisov?
Cheers, Tim
I don't know too much I'm afraid Tim, although you may recall they were in the Champions League last season (they were handed a nightmare group though, with Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit St Petersburg). I've quickly checked up and the Belarussians beat Litex Lovech in the play-off match to reach this stage, having bowed out of the Champions League qualifiers at the hands of Ventspils.
And here's some more about the city of Borisov ...
13.12: This isn't the worst draw ever, at least we know of the teams in the group. i fancy the mighty glasgow celtic too do the business !!! great coverage of the draw. Lynsey McMillan.
How kind you are Lynsey, and very best of luck to Celtic when the group matches come around.
Europa League draw
Glitz and glamour: The Europa League draw taking place in Monaco
13.08: I must say that the draw could have been worse for us, I would prefer one of the bigger teams in the knockout stages, we tend to shine more. I for one, am looking forward to the campaign. Tom Field, Celtic fan
Yes it doesn't look a bad draw Tom
13.06: Mon the Hoops!!! Get well big John. Everton would love to have Yakubu and Arteta to...but they don’t, there out injured when it matters most. Mon the hoops, we would beat Everton comfortably, Arsenal hammered yous 6-1 on your own patch and just beat the hoops with two lucky goals. Michael McDonald
Hello Michael - we'd certainly all echo those sentiments about John Hartson. Enjoy your weekend.
13.04: Here is the full draw for the Europa League:
Group A
Ajax
Anderlecht
Dinamo Zagreb
Politehnica Timisoara
Group B
Valencia
Lille
Slavia Prague
Genoa
Group C
Hamburg
Celtic
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Rapid Vienna
Group D
Sporting
Heerenveen
Hertha Berlin
FK Ventspils
Group E
Roma
Basle
Fulham
CSKA Sofia
Group F
Panathinaikos
Galatasaray
Dinamo Bucuresti
SK Sturm Graz
Group G
Villarreal
Lazio
Levski Sofia
SV Red Bull Salzburg
Group H
Steaua Bucuresti
Fenerbahce
FC Twente
FC Sheriff
Group I
Benfica
Everton
AEK Athens
BATE
Group J
Shakhtar Donetsk
Club Brugge
Partizan Belgrade
Toulouse
Group K
PSV
FC Copenhagen
Sparta Prague
CFR Cluj-Napoca
Group L
Werder Bremen
FK Austria Vienna
Athletic Bilbao
Nacional
12.59: Hi Nick,
Big Celtic fan here, happy with Hamburg from pot one, one of the weaker teams, been to the city before not that great wouldn't be rushing back. Grant O'Donnell
Good to hear from you Grant. I've not been to the town myself, although have to say have mostly heard good things about it. Overall I guess Celtic will be fairly satisfied with the draw from a footballing point of view, and if we're talking travelling, I suspect many fans will already have Tel Aviv in mind.
12.54: The draw has been completed - full details to follow. What do you make of the draw from a British point of view? Have your say Celtic, Everton and Fulham fans.
12.51: BATE Borisov drawn in same group as Everton, Benfica and AEK Athens
Confirmation of Europa League Group I:
Benfica
EVERTON
AEK Athens
BATE Borisov
12.49: Rapid Vienna drawn in same group as Celtic, Hamburg and Hapoel Tel Aviv
Confirmation of Europa League Group C:
Hamburg
CELTIC
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Rapid Vienna
12.47: CSKA Sofia drawn in same group as Fulham, Roma and Basel.
Confirmation of Europa League Group E:
Roma
Basel
FULHAM
CSKA Sofia
12.46: I promise you I will bring you the full group line-ups when the draw is completed, but for now we will concentrate on the British sides.
12.44: Celtic further than Everton nick?? i dont think so, Celtic would love to have players like Yakubu and Arteta in their team. Most Celtic players wouldnt get close to Evertons first XI. Andrew Sperling
I didn't strictly say that Andrew, and time will of course tell whether you are right. But Celtic often have that necessary steel to achieve some kind of success in Europe.
12.42: AEK Athens drawn in same group as Everton and Benfica
Lisbon and now Athens - Everton fans lucky enough to have the means to travel are in a treat or two.
12.40: Hapoel Tel Aviv in same group as Celtic and Hamburg
12.37: Fulham drawn in same group as Roma and Basel.
The Londoners will enjoy their trip to beautiful, magical Rome. Maybe less so Basel - I visited Roger Federer's home town during Euro 2008 last year, and it's a very ordinary place.
12.35: So what do we think so far? As a colleague of mine just noted, Celtic fans will likely look forward to their trip to the fine port city of Hamburg - likewise Everton fans and their trip to Lisbon.
12.32: Celtic are drawn in the same group as Hamburg
The Germans will be desperate for success, with the final being staged in Hamburg next May.
12.29: Galatasaray are drawn in the same group as Panathinaikos - that could make for a tasty atmosphere. Villarreal are in the same group as Lazio, while Anderlecht are in with Ajax.
12.27: Hi Nick, can you see any of the three British teams winning this? teams like Shaktar are surely too strong? Regards, Graham Mackie
Who knows Graham? You're probably right, although I would hope Celtic could at least reach the last eight.
12.24: Everton drawn in same group as Benfica
The Merseysiders will certainly relish their matches against the great Portuguese club.
12.22: I'm not one to steal lines normally, but I am giving credit. One commentator has just described this as a 'draw of attrition'.
12.21: These are the top seeds by the way: Shakhtar Donetsk, Werder Bremen, Villarreal, Roma, PSV, Sporting Lisbon, Hamburg, Benfica, Valencia, Panathinaikos, Ajax and Steaua Bucharest.
12.18: Nothing really of any great interest happening so far - all the top seeded teams are just being distributed into the various groups.
Europa League draw
Draw of attrition: UEFA director of football Giorgio Marchetti helps to conduct the Europa League draw in Monaco
12.15: The draw is under way - I can see pictures now and I can safely say I haven't seen quite such a farcical draw in all my days. A mountain of pots and a mountain of balls.
12.12: We are getting nearer to the draw folks - I promise. Celtic and Everton are among the second seeds, with Fulham in the third pot.
12.10: It’s excellent this year I reckon. Theres a Top 6 or 8 teams in Europe who are going to win the Champions League every year until doomsday now. Platini has also stuck a load of first-timers into that competition this year – so the Europa Cup has been left with all the old giants of European Football (barring the super-rich clubs who will make the sharp end of the Champions League). Celtic, Ajax, Benfica, Roma……wonderful! Finally a tournament to enjoy for those European fans who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon of the super-clubs. Joe Beattie
Some fair points there Joe, although there are an awful lot of teams that could never be described as showbusiness. Also I'm not sure about Roma being in that exalted company - they've never won the European Cup, and always seem to freeze for their big matches.
12.07: At the moment I'm listening in on the wireless. How delightful.
12.05: Hi there, whilst I appreciate the comment that everyone has a soft spot for Fulham i thought i would enlighten you with regards to Fulham's history... During the 02/03 Premiership Campaign we won the Intertoto Cup beating Bologna 5-3 on aggregate and gaining entry to the UEFA Cup where we beat the likes of Hadjuk Split and Dynamo Zagreb before being knocked out in the third round by Hertha Berlin. This is NOT our first european competition :P All the Best, Darren
To err is human, to forgive is divine Darren. You are of course right sir and nobody is more furious than myself over this error. It's funny you know, I can name you the semi-final line-up from the 1983 World Snooker Championship no problems, but the years 2000-2009? Errors can creep in.
12.00: Twelve noon British Summer Time, and the draw for the Europa League will take place shortly in Monaco.
11.55: Feel free to email in your thoughts on the draw, or indeed the Europa League in general. Do you feel the tournament is simply far too big? Despite last night's disappointment will Aston Villa benefit from crashing out in the long run?
11.49: Far be it for me to throw a spanner in the works, but how exactly have UEFA improved this competition? If you didn't realise ladies and gents the 48 teams will be split into 12 groups of four.
11.45: Bit of a treat here for any lurking Everton supporters - the Blue half of Merseyside really did have reasons to cheer 24 years ago. I make that Everton team one of the finest British sides I've seen (maybe only Liverpool's 1988 team and Sir Alex Ferguson's marvellous Manchester United sides of 1999 and 2008 rate higher).
WATCH EVERTON'S CUP WINNERS CUP WIN ....
11.42: It must be Celtic that take pride of place when we talk of these three proud football clubs. Jock Stein's Lisbon Lions of 1967 will always have their rightful place in the folklore of the game. As for Everton, I recall very well their fine victory in 1985 against Rapid Vienna to win the old Cup Winners Cup. And Fulham? Most of us have a spot spot for that homely club from down by the Thames, but they are playing in European competition for the very first time (they are not of course, thank you Darren). When I think about it, it really has been a remarkable journey for the Cottagers. It was only as recently as 1997 that the club were promoted from the old fourth division.
11.37: And then there were three - it doesn't seem like many does it, at this embryonic stage of the football season and all? But Aston Villa and Hearts crashed out of the Europa League last night, and we are left with Celtic, Everton and Fulham.
11.30: Well well here we are again. The great and the good of the game have gathered again in Monaco and the Europa League draw will take place at noon (Blighty time).
