Arsenal Europa League draw: Gunners face Frankfurt and Standard Liege in 2019 group stage

Last season’s Europa League finalists will face Eintrach Frankfurt, Standard Liege and Vitoria SC

Arsenal have been handed a relatively easy draw after avoiding the highest-seeded sides from pot two, but still face a Europa League tie against last season’s semi-finalists in the form of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Unai Emery’s side reached the Europa League final last season only to come unstuck at the final against Premier League rivals Chelsea – costing the Gunners a return to the Champions League in the process.

As a result, Arsenal find themselves in Europe’s second-tier competition for the third consecutive season, although Emery’s pedigree in the Europa League goes before him after winning it three times with Sevilla and Arsenal will have high hopes of reaching the May 2020 final at the Stadion Energa Gdansk.

Arsenal found themselves drawn in Group F, were they were joined by last season’s semi-finalists in Frankfurt – who came unstuck against Chelsea on penalties.

The Gunners will also face Belgian side Standard Liege, who finished third in last season’s Belgian First Division, as well as a trip to Portugal to face Vitoria SC in Guimaraes.

Manchester United meanwhile will rack up the air miles after being drawn against FC Astana, FK Partizan and AZ Alkmaar.

Although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side received a generous draw in terms of competition, United and their fans are now facing the prospect of a 7,400-mile round trip to the capital of Kazakhstan for the clash with FC Astana.

Of United’s three opponents, the club has only faced FK Partizan once before – in the semi-finals of the 1966 European Cup, losing 2-1 on aggregate.

AZ Alkmaar will be the fifth different Dutch side United have faced in European competition. The club has lost both of its last two visits to the Netherlands, at PSV in September 2015 and Feyenoord in September 2016.

The same generous draw could not be said for Celtic, who face a difficult ask against Serie A side Lazio, Ligue 1 side Rennes and Romanian club CFR Cluf, while Rangers face a similar challenge after being drawn with Porto, Feyenoord and Young Boys.

In their first season in European competition since 1981, Wolverhampton Wanderers were handed an interesting draw against Besiktas, Braga and SK Slovan Bratislava, taking their fans to Turkey, Portugal and Slovakia respectively.

Europa League group stage

Group A: Sevilla, APOEL, Qarabag, F91 Dudelange

Group B: Dynamo Kiev, FC Copenhagen, Malmo, FC Lugano

Group C: FC Basel, Krasnodar, Getafe, Trabzonspor

Group D: Sporting, PSV Eindhoven, Rosenborg, LASK

Group E: Lazio, Celtic, Stade Rennais, CFR Cluj,

Group F: Arsenal, Eintracht Frankfurt, Standard Liege, Vitoria SC

Group G: Porto, Young Boys, Feyenoord, Rangers

Group H: CSKA Moscow, Ludogorets, Espanyol, Ferencvaros

Group I: Wolfsburg, Gent, Saint-Etienne, FC Olexandriya

Group J: Roma, Borussia Monchengladbach, Istanbul Basaksehir, Wolfsberger AC

Group K: Besiktas, Braga, Wolverhampton Wanderers, SK Slovan Bratislava

Group L: Manchester United, FC Astana, Partizan Belgrade, AZ Alkmaar