Everything you need to know ahead of the Europa League draw: The four pots and key dates

By Oliver Fisher -

At one point it seemed as though AC Milan would not have to concern themselves with Friday’s Europa League draw, but Gianluigi Donnarumma ensured fans will be glued to their screens at 13:00 CEST when it takes place after a dramatic night in Portugal.

The draw has already been split into four pots based on current UEFA ranking, with Milan’s Serie A rivals Roma and Napoli in Pot 1, but there is no chance of drawing anyone from the same country.

Below are the pots…

  • 1st Pot: Arsenal, Tottenham, Roma, Napoli, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Villarreal, CSKA Moscow, Braga, Gent, Psv Eindovhen, Celtic
  • 2nd Pot: Dinamo Zagreb, Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague, Ludogorets, Young Boys, Red Star, Rapid Vienna, Leicester, Qarabag, PAOK, Standard Liegi, Real Sociedad
  • 3rd Pot: Granada, Milan, AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord, AEK Athens, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Rangers, Molde, Hoffenheim, Hapoel Beer Sheva, LASK, Cluj
  • 4th Pot: Zorya, Lille, Nice, Rijeka, Dundalk, Slovan Liberec, Antwerp, Lech Poznan, Sivasspor, Wolfsberger, Omonia Nicosia, CSKA Sofia

The key dates

The first round of Europa League games is scheduled for Thursday 22 October, and below are the rest of the dates…

  • Matchday 1: 22 October
  • Matchday 2: 29 October
  • Matchday 3: November 5th
  • Matchday 4: November 26th
  • Matchday 5: 2 December
  • Matchday 6: 10 December

Followed by the elimination phase…

  • Round of 32: 02/18/2021 and 02/25/2021
  • Round of 16: 11/03/2021 and 18/03/2021
  • Quarter-finals: 08/04/2021 and 15/04/2021
  • Semi-finals: 29/04 /2021 and 06/05/2021
  • Final: 26/05/2021

The Europa League final – scheduled for May 26, 2021 – will be played at the Gdańsk Stadium in Gdansk in Poland.

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