Dutch side Feyenoord is set to clash with Italy's Roma in the highly anticipated UEFA Europa League (UEL) knockout round playoffs, following the draw held on Monday at the European football body's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The upcoming match holds particular significance for Feyenoord as they seek vengeance for their defeat in the final of last year’s Europa Conference League, where they fell to the Italian capital's team by a single goal.
The playoff draw included third-place teams from the Champions League group stages such as Feyenoord, who finished behind Spanish side Atlético Madrid and Italy's Lazio, and second-place finishers in their Europa League groups, including Roma, who trailed behind Czech representative Slavia Prague in Group Seven.
AC Milan, the seven-time European champions, appear to have a relatively smooth path as they face French side Rennes, hoping to continue their European journey after being edged out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in direct encounters.
Portugal’s league champions Benfica are also expected to have an easy task ahead as they face French team Toulouse, while their traditional rivals Sporting will take on Switzerland’s Young Boys.
The third Portuguese representative in the playoffs, Sporting Braga, who finished behind Spain's Real Madrid and Italy's Napoli in the Champions League, will go head to head with Azerbaijan's Qarabag.
Other notable matches include Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk against French club Marseille, while French runner-up Lens faces Germany's Freiburg, and Turkey's Galatasaray takes on Czech side Sparta Prague.
The first legs of these matches are scheduled for February 15, with the return legs set for February 22.
The eight successful teams from the playoffs will join the group stage champions, listed as follows:
- West Ham United (English, Group One)
- Brighton (English, Group Two)
- Glasgow Rangers (Scottish, Group Three)
- Atalanta (Italian, Group Four)
- Liverpool (English, Group Five)
- Villarreal (Spanish, Group Six)
- Slavia Prague (Czech, Group Seven)
- Bayer Leverkusen (German, Group Eight)
The draw for the last 16 will be conducted on February 23.
Below are the playoff pairings:
- Feyenoord (Dutch) x Roma (Italian)
- AC Milan (Italian) x Rennes (French)
- Lens (French) x Freiburg (German)
- Young Boys (Swiss) x Sporting (Portuguese)
- Benfica (Portuguese) x Toulouse (French)
- Braga (Portuguese) x Qarabag (Azerbaijani)
- Galatasaray (Turkish) x Sparta Prague (Czech)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukrainian) x Marseille (French)
