NYON: Last season’s Europa League runners-up AS Roma will meet Feyenoord in a third campaign in a row after the teams were drawn together in the knockout round play-offs on Monday.

Jose Mourinho’s side beat Feyenoord in the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League in Tirana in 2022, and the sides also met in last season’s Europa League at the quarter-final stage, with Roma again coming out on top, 4-2 on aggregate.

Roma reached the final of last season’s competition where they lost to Sevilla on penalties while Feyenoord lifted the Europa League trophy in 2002, defeating Borussia Dortmund in the final, and also won in 1974.

The knockout round play-offs see the teams who came third in their Champions League groups face off against the runners-up from the Europa League group stage.

The winners will advance to the last 16, where they will join the eight group winners.

Reigning Dutch title-holders Feyenoord dropped out of the Champions League after coming third in a group behind Atletico Madrid and Lazio.

AC Milan, who finished third in their Champions League group behind Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain and ahead of Newcastle United, were drawn against French club Stade Rennes.

Milan, who have won the Champions League on seven occasions, have never won the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup.

Other highlights included Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the UEFA Cup in 2009, being drawn against Olympique de Marseille, the Europa League runners-up in 2018, and Benfica, another former European champions, taking on Toulouse.

The ties will be played in February, before the last 16 in March, which will feature three Premier League clubs in Liverpool, West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion.

Rangers, Atalanta, Villarreal, Slavia Prague and Bayer Leverkusen are also already through to the last 16.

This season’s Europa League final will be played in Dublin on May 22.

Draws:

Europa League play-offs: Feyenoord (Netherlands) v AS Roma (Italy), AC Milan (Italy) v Stade Rennes (France), RC Lens (France) v Freiburg (Germany), Young Boys (Switzerland) v Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), Benfica (Portugal) v Toulouse (France), Sporting Braga (Portugal) vs. Qarabag (Azerbaijan), Galatasaray (Turkey) v Sparta Prague (Czech Republic), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v Olympique de Marseille (France).

Europa Conference League play-offs: Sturm Graz (Austria) v Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia); Servette (Switzerland) v Ludogorets (Bulgaria); Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) v Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany); Real Betis (Spain) v Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Olympiacos (Greece) v Ferencvaros (Hungary); Ajax (Netherlands) v Bodo/Glimt (Norway); Molde (Norway) v Legia Warsaw (Poland); Maccabi Haifa (Israel) v Gent (Belgium).

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023