Valencia have been paired with Swansea and Real Betis with Lyon as they and Sevilla learn their opponents for the Europa League group stage.
Valencia, who qualify directly into the group stages after a fifth place finish in La Liga last term, face Michael Laudrup’s Swansea City. The Premier League side have a number of familiar faces to Spanish football in their ranks, including former Valencia man Pablo Hernandez.
Drawn in Group A, Los Che also play Russians Kuban and Swiss outfit St Gallen.
Real Betis defeated Czech side Jablonec 8-1 on aggregate in the Play-off round this week and are rewarded with ties against Lyon, Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes and Croatian side Rijeka.
Los Beticos, who are back in European competition for the first time since 2005-06, face in Lyon the side Real Sociedad comfortably dispatched with in the Champions League Play-off round this week.
Sevilla, who also came through the Play-off stage with a 9-1 win over Slask Wroclaw and previous to that the third qualifying round, have been drawn in Group H against Bundesliga outfit Freiburg.
The Germans, who were the lowest ranked team from pot two of the draw, are into European competition for the third time in their history and the first time since 2001-02’s UEFA Cup exit at the third round.
Unai Emery’s side are into the group stages of a European competition for the first time since 2009-10’s Champions League entry and will also play an unknown quantity in Portuguese side Estoril.
Czech side Liberec, who drew 0-0 with Sevilla in their only previous meeting in the 2006-07 UEFA Cup, complete the group.
Group stage matches are to be played on the Thursdays of September 19, October 3, October 24, November 7, November 28 and December 12, with two regular kick-off times set on those days of early and late evening.
Europa League group stages
Group A – VALENCIA, Swansea, Kuban, St Gallen
Group B – PSV, Dinamo Zagreb, Choromorets Odesa, Ludogorets
Group C – Standard Liege, Salzburg, Elfsborg, Esbjerg
Group D – Rubin Kazan, Wigan, Maribor, Zulte Waregem
Group E – Fiorentina, Dnipro, Pacos Ferreira, Pandurii
Group F – Bordeaux, APEOL, Eintracht Frankfurt,
Group G – Dynamo Kiev, Genk, Rapid Vienna, Thun
Group H – SEVILLA, Freiburg, Estoril, Liberec
Group I – Lyon, REAL BETIS, Vitoria de Guimaraes, Rijeka
Group J – Lazio, Trabzonspor, Legia, Apollon
Group K – Tottenham, Anji, Sheriff, Tromso
Group L – AZ, PAOK, Maccabi Haifa, Shakhter Karagandy
