Bournemouth and Sunderland draw Milan as Palace are paired with Lyon
Bournemouth and Sunderland draw Milan as Palace are paired with Lyon
Bournemouth and Sunderland will both meet Milan in the Europa League league phase, while Crystal Palace face a reunion with Lyon for head coach Pierre Sage after the draw set the fixtures for the English clubs’ European campaigns.
Milan await Bournemouth and Sunderland
Bournemouth’s first European campaign brings seven-time continental champions Milan to Dean Court. The Cherries will also host Viktoria Plzen, Sturm Graz and Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Their away fixtures are against Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Celta Vigo and Lillestrøm.
Sunderland will travel to San Siro to take on Milan, their first European campaign since 1973-74. At home, they will welcome AZ, Dinamo Zagreb, Jagiellonia Bialystok and Levski Sofia. Their other away matches are against Anderlecht, Lech Poznan and Torreense.
Palace return to Lyon for Sage reunion
Crystal Palace, who qualified by winning last season’s Conference League, will visit Lyon, where Sage coached from 2023 to 2025. The clubs also share a connection through John Textor, who was a part-owner at Palace and president of Lyon.
Palace’s home opponents at Selhurst Park are Real Sociedad, Lech Poznan, Sparta Prague and Hoffenheim. Their remaining away trips are to Red Bull Salzburg, Jagiellonia and Besiktas.
Celtic, Brighton and Hearts learn their opponents
Celtic will host Marseille, Ferencvaros, Celta Vigo and Besiktas in the Europa League, and travel to Benfica, Omonia, Union Saint-Gilloise and Torreense.
Brighton’s first Conference League campaign includes a home match against Monaco, alongside visits from Universitatea Craiova and Kauno Zalgiris. The Seagulls will travel to Panathinaikos, Getafe and Jablonec.
Hearts will visit Trabzonspor, the club of Mohamed Salah, as well as Pafos and Thun. Their home fixtures are against Monaco, Borac Banja Luka and Nordsjælland.
Match dates and the full schedule are due to be announced this weekend.