Source: Daily_Mail
EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW: Everton play Benfica, Fulham face Roma and Celtic tackle Hamburg
Everton will face Benfica in the last 32 of this year's Europa League after being pitted against the Portuguese giants in the group stages of the competition.
Benfica have a strong historical European pedigree having won the European Cup in 1961 and 1962 and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983.
The Lisbon club are no longer top dogs in Portuguese football and finished third last season behind Porto and city rivals Sporting - but should still provide a tough test for David Moyes' men.
The FA Cup runners-up, who beat Czech side Sigma Olomouc 5-1 to reach the group phase, will also face Greek side AEK Athens and BATE Borisov from Belarus in Group I.
Fulham, embarking on their second European campaign, face a trip to Italy to take on Roma and must also tackle Swiss side Basle and CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria in Group E.
The Cottagers overcame Russian side Amkar Perm to qualify for the group phase and now have a trip to the Stadio Olimpico against a Roma side able to call upon Francesco Totti.
Celtic, who dropped out of the Champions League at the play-off stage after a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Arsenal, are up against Hamburg, Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Rapid Vienna in Group C.
UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk will be aimingto become the first team to win the competition in its new format.
There are 48 teams at this stage of the competition, split into 12groups of four, with the top two qualifying for the next round.
The first round of matches will be played on Thursday, September 17, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the last 32, where they will be joined by the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group phase.
