Europa League draw simulator: West Ham and Celtic in same group, Leicester given hard draw | Football | Sport
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The Europa League group stages are almost upon us, with the last round of play-off matches set to take place on Thursday evening – and with the draw on Friday, fans of West Ham United, Leicester City, Celtic and Rangers will learn their fate should they all progress.
West Ham and Leicester have qualified instantly into the group stages following their fifth and sixth-placed finishes in the Premier League last season.
And whilst Scotland doesn’t have any automatic group stage qualification spots for any competition, the top two spots go into the Champions League qualifying rounds, which Rangers and Celtic took up as per usual.
However, with the Glaswegian pair losing to Scandinavian sides Malmo and Midtjylland respectively, they both dropped into the Europa League qualifiers.
And taking 2-0 and 1-0 leads into their second legs, it seems as though they will once again fly the flag for Scottish football in the group stages.
Yet, if Express Sport’s simulation is anything to go by, Celtic will have an all-British tie to comprehend – as they have drawn West Ham in our computerised draw.
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Group E: Olympiacos, Celtic, West Ham, Midtjylland
Landing in pot two due to their strong coefficient rating, Celtic were pitted against the Irons, who had to settle for pot three due to their impoverished record in European football, having not made a group stage in their last three attempts.
Given that West Ham are top of the English Premier League thanks to the inspired form of Michail Antonio, and how much Celtic have improved massively under Ange Postecoglou, it could be a couple of nights to remember under the lights at the London Stadium and Celtic Park as they go head-to-head.
West Ham have the upper edge, however; having beaten Celtic 6-2 in a pre-season friendly at Celtic Park in July, they know what it takes to beat the Hoops.
Making up the group were Greek giants Olympiacos and Celtic’s arch-nemesis Midtjylland, in what overall could be considered a relatively easy group for the Hammers.
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Group C: Leverkusen, Leicester, Marseille, Sparta Prague
On the other hand, Leicester were drawn against some European powerhouses in our simulation – namely Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille and Sparta Prague.
Having been knocked out of the Europa League last season by Sparta’s rivals Slavia Prague, Leicester will look to avoid more embarrassment in the Czech capital if they are to be drawn against Sparta.
With Bayer becoming a mainstay in the competition in recent years – spending six of the last ten seasons in the Europa League – they represent a hard challenge for the Foxes.
And with European powerhouses Marseille also making up the group, they too will prove a tough opponent for Leicester to overcome, having gotten to the final in and 2003/04 and 2017/18.
Group A: Lyon, Rangers, Real Betis, Rapid Wien
The winners of our simulation are Rangers. Needing to overcome Armenian side Alashkert in Thursday’s fixture, they will likely progress to the group stage for the fourth consecutive season.
And if our simulation comes true, they will face Lyon, Real Betis and Rapid Wien – a much favourable draw in comparison to the other British sides.
Of course, Lyon represent arguably the strongest team in the competition, and Rangers are not expected to surpass them.
However, with Real Betis starting the season poorly and having lost defenders Emerson and Aissa Mandi, Steven Gerrard’s men could beat the Seville-based outfit if they play their cards right.
With victory expected over Rapid Wien, the Ibrox outfit could progress to the last sixteen for the third time in a row.
The rest of the draw is as follows:
Group B: Lazio, Lokomotiv Moscow, PSV, Brondby
Group D: Dinamo Zagreb, Braga, Fenerbahce, Antwerp
Group F: Monaco, Frankfurt, Spartak Moscow, Sturm Graz
Group G: Napoli, Red Star Belgrade, Real Sociedad, Ferencvaros
Group H: Slavia Prague, Genk, Ludogorets, Galatasaray
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