The draw for the newly restructured first phase of the 2024/25 Europa League has been finalized, with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Rangers among the teams learning their opponents.

Similar to the Champions League, the Europa League has moved away from the traditional group stage format, adopting a Swiss-style system where all 36 teams compete in a single extended table for knockout round qualification.

The teams were divided into four pots based on their UEFA coefficient rankings, and they will each play eight matches determined by a supercomputer—designed to create more competitive and exciting games earlier in the tournament.

Here’s how the draw played out for the three British teams, along with a guide to their respective pots.

Pots for Europa League league phase draw

• Pot One: AS Roma, Manchester United, Porto, Ajax, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio, Tottenham, Slavia Prague.

• Pot Two: Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, Braga, Olympiakos, Lyon, PAOK, Fenerbahce, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Ferencvaros.

• Pot Three: Qarabag, Galatasaray, Viktoria Plzen, Bodo/Glimt, Union SG, Dynamo Kyiv, Ludogorets, Midtjylland, Malmo.

• Pot Four: Athletic Club, Hoffenheim, Nice, Anderlecht, Twente, Besiktas, FK RFS, Steaua Bucharest, Elfsborg.

Manchester United

Tottenham’s Europa League campaign will present them with several challenging away fixtures, particularly their trip to Ibrox to face Rangers, the fierce rivals of Ange Postecoglou’s former club, Celtic.

Roma, once managed by former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, will visit North London as Tottenham’s other Pot 1 opponent. From Pot 2, AZ Alkmaar and Ferencvaros were drawn, both set to provide tough competition.

While Qarabag and Elfsborg should offer winnable home games for Postecoglou’s side, the away trips to Galatasaray and Hoffenheim are likely to be more daunting.

Tottenham’s eight confirmed league phase fixtures

• Roma (H)
• Rangers (A)
• AZ Alkmaar (H)
• Ferencvaros (A)
• Qarabag (H)
• Galatasaray (A)
• Elfsborg (H)
• Hoffenheim (A)

Rangers

Rangers have been dealt a rough hand in terms of pot one opponents, picking out both Tottenham and Manchester United.

The Scottish Premierhship giants will also face up to Lyon, Union Saint-Gilloise and FCSB at home, with their games on the road taking them to last season’s Conference League winners, Olympiacos, Malmo and Ligue 1 side Nice, who are under the INEOS ownership umbrella.

Rangers’ eight confirmed league phase fixtures

• Tottenham (H)
• Manchester United (A)
• Lyon (H)
• Olympiacos (A)
• Union Saint-Gilloise (H)
• Malmo (A)
• FCSB (H)
• Nice (A)

When does the Europa League league phase begin?

Matchday one will be spread across two days, the 25th and 26th September.

There will then be regular intervals of either two or three weeks between matchdays, culminating in the eighth and final fixtures which will be played on Thursday 30 January 2025.

The full Europa League draw for all 36 teams can be found HERE.

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After Michael Beale was fired, Frank Lampard is reportedly ‘open’ to taking over as manager at Rangers.

The club is reportedly considering the former head coach of Chelsea and Everton as one of the earliest contenders to turn around its fortunes after losing three of its first seven Scottish Premiership games, which led to Beale’s dismissal.

Graham Potter, a former Brighton coach, was also considered, but he declined the position.

In addition to Kevin Muscat, a former Rangers defender who presently manages Yokohama F Marinos, other candidates on the short list include AZ Alkmaar coach Pascal Jansen and former Monaco coach Philippe Clement.

Lampard, who finished his interim assignment at Chelsea last summer, is open to fresh chances that fit his professional aspirations.

The 45-year-old joined Rangers supporters during the 2008 Uefa Cup final in Manchester versus Zenit St. Petersburg, cementing his longtime admiration for the team. He continued by listing his welcoming appearance at Ibrox as one of his favorite experiences.

The former England midfielder Steven Gerrard managed Rangers to the SPL title in the past, and Lampard’s possible hiring would reignite dreams of recapturing those golden days.

Before making a wise management selection, the club will speak with various candidates again, including Jansen, Clement, and Muscat.

This week, Lampard said he is prepared to return to the bench after finding “the time out of the game to recharge a bit” and will manage once again if the appropriate opportunity arises on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports.

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Brighton’s first taste of continental play has pitted them against Ajax and Marseille, while Scottish heavyweights Rangers, who failed to qualify for the Champions League, will face Real Betis and Sparta Prague.

• EUROPA LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW IN FULL

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Arsenal winger Marquinhos is close to joining Norwich City on loan for the rest of this season.

Marquinhos is on the road today in preparation for the transfer, which won’t have a buyout clause and will probably be official within the next 24 hours.

During the first half of the season, Mikel Arteta utilized the 19-year-old infrequently. He made six first-team appearances, scoring on his debut while playing away at FC Zurich. He has also played five times for the under-21s, contributing two assists and four goals.

Marquinhos would play more frequently for the first team if he moved to Norwich. Since the summer, the Championship team has been looking for a wide attacking option. With Aaron Ramsey now back from knee surgery, that search has been sped up. Additionally, Todd Cantwell secured a long-term position with the Rangers last week.

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With their parachute payments covered through 2024, Norwich can only afford a loan agreement.

Marquinhos, a right winger who prefers to utilize his left foot, would be David Wagner’s first signing after taking over as Norwich’s head coach earlier this month. Kieran Dowell, who has played off that side and scored three goals and assisted a fourth in Wagner’s first two league games, will be his direct rival on the left wing.

Marquinhos will also be reuniting with former Sao Paulo team-mate Gabriel Sara, who joined Norwich last summer.

The move, while beneficial for Marquinhos, takes away Arteta’s ability to fully rotate when Europa League football returns.

New signee Leandro Trossard’s ability to move across the frontline will be beneficial, as will the return from injury of Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus, but Bukayo Saka may still be required to play from the right.

Meanwhile, Norwich City are fighting for promotion to the English second division, with Wagner’s team sixth in the table but 15 points behind the automatic promotion spots.

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Rangers FC has announced the appointment of a new manager on a contract until 2026, replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox.

After Gio van Bronckhorst was fired as the club’s manager, Rangers officially announced the hiring of Michael Beale.

Michael Beale has been named the 18th manager of Rangers, and the club is thrilled to reveal the news.

The 42-year-old arrived at the club’s training ground on Monday to complete his move from QPR, where he took charge less than six months ago, and replaces Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was sacked last week.

Beale – who has maintained good relations with Rangers since his departure as coach last November – will be joined by coaches Damian Matthew, Harry Watling and Neil Banfield, with further appointments expected.

Some report revealed on Sunday that Beale’s appointment was imminent, and a club statement has confirmed his return to the club: “Michael Beale is the 18th manager of Rangers with the club delighted to confirm his appointment today.

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“Signing a contract to 2026, the 42-year-old joins from his role as manager of Queens’ Park Rangers in West London having previously worked as first-team coach at Ibrox from 2018 to last November. It is an exciting appointment for the club, with Beale undoubtedly one of the most sought-after young managers in British football.”

Speaking about his return to Rangers, Beale said: “It is fantastic to be back and to see everybody this morning, there are some new faces but some people that I know really well so it is great to see everyone. 

“I am hugely proud, it is a wonderful, wonderful football club, it is an institution. For everyone that works here it is a huge privilege, but to be the manager of this football club, that is extremely special. Some wonderful people have sat in this chair prior to me, and I am hugely proud to be the person sat here now.”

The 18th manager of Rangers Football Club. pic.twitter.com/vOWv4bvmkT

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) November 28, 2022

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After only a year in charge at Ibrox and leading them to the Europa League final, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst has been sacked by Rangers, the club has confirmed.

The Glasgow giants parted ways with the 47-year-old on Monday, just three days after he celebrated his one-year anniversary in charge of the club.

The decision to part ways with the former Holland international was made just two weeks prior to the club’s annual general meeting (AGM).

‘The board would like to put on record sincere thanks to Gio for all his efforts since his appointment as manager,’ Rangers said in a statement.

‘Unfortunately, results and performances over recent months haven’t met expectations and the decision was made today by the board to terminate the contract of the manager. The search for the new manager is now underway.’

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Van Bronckhorst, who spent three seasons at Ibrox as a player, replaced Steven Gerrard in November last year after the Liverpool legend took charge of Aston Villa.

Having led Rangers to their first European final in 14 years, the Dutchman won the Scottish Cup just days after taking over as manager. However, they lost the Europa League final in Seville on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt.

However, in Van Bronckhorst’s first full campaign in charge, the positive vibes gradually faded. After 15 games, Rangers trail league leaders Celtic by nine points, and Van Bronckhorst’s past three league matches have produced just four points.

‘I want to thank Gio for the hard work he has put in over the last 12 months and, especially, the achievements of taking the club to the Europa League final and winning the Scottish Cup last season,’ said chairman Douglas Park.

‘Unfortunately, recent results have not met neither our nor Gio’s expectations, and we have taken this difficult decision today. Everyone at Rangers wishes Gio every success in the future.’

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Even though the UEFA Champions League is only for the best teams in Europe, there isn’t always a level playing field. Rangers did when they set a new Champions League group stage record.

After losing to Ajax 3-1 on Tuesday night, Rangers became the worst team in Champions League history.

With just one goal scored in six games, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team finished last in Group A with no points and a negative goal differential.

Rangers have now had the worst group stage of any club since the Champions League was renamed in 1992. They also dropped both of their games against Liverpool and Napoli.

The previous holder of this undesirable record was Dinamo Zagreb, who in 2011–12 finished last in their group—which also included Real Madrid, Lyon, and Ajax—with no points and a -19 goal differential.

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On Tuesday night, Viktoria Plzen also tied Dinamo Zagreb’s record by losing all six games and finishing with a goal differential of -19. They placed last in Group C alongside Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Inter.

Speaking after Rangers’ defeat to Ajax, Van Bronckhorst said: ‘Disappointing result, the last 5-10 minutes you think we might get a point if we put pressure on but [their third goal] was really quick. Overall, it was a difficult match for us.

‘We tried to press them but you see the difference in energy levels, they had no game at the weekend and they were much fresher than we were.

‘To compete against Ajax we needed to have the pressure moments but we weren’t able to create those moments. We lacked a little bit of energy to keep pressing high.

‘Well, they had six days off, their league is thinking about their players. They played their last game on Wednesday and they come here really fresh.

‘We, of course, we played a game and have some injuries. We tried but these are teams that are competing for several years at this level. It’s our first after 12 years.’

When asked if he thinks the SPFL should be doing more for Scottish clubs in Europe, Van Bronckhorst replied: ‘Helping, that’s from the league.

‘You asked me what the difference was today, they haven’t had a game at the weekend, that’s the difference. I didn’t say we need help. I just said they have a free weekend.’

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reacted and offered some advice to Steven Gerrard after Aston Villa sacked him from his managerial position.

After Villa’s humiliating 3-0 loss to Fulham on Thursday night, former Liverpool and England midfielder Gerrard was let go from his position.

Aston Villa have won just two of their 11 Premier League games this season and only sits above the relegation zone on goal difference.

The club won just 13 of their 40 games under Gerrard following his move from the Scottish club Rangers.

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Reacting to Gerrard’s sacking, Klopp said: ‘I’m very sure he will be back. I’ve always followed him so we had a little exchange this morning, nothing too deep.

‘I can imagine it’s disappointing for him because of the ambitious he had. But I don’t think we need to worry about Stevie, he knows the game and these things can happen. In life we all get knocks, it’s about how we respond. He’s always come back before and he will come back from this.

‘A lot of great mangers out there have had to leave clubs for whichever reason and show up somewhere else, learn from it, and find a better situation.

‘He will be back but I hope he takes some time as well. He’s been working pretty much all the time since he stopped playing so maybe he can take some time to recharge.’

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Liverpool FC football player Mohamed Salah has set a new goalscoring record in the Champions League following his side’s victory over Rangers.

Following Liverpool FC’s emphatic victory over Rangers by 7 goals to 1 in the group stage fixture in the Champions League, Egyptian forward Mo Salah has set a new goal-scoring record in the history of the competition.

Salah’s three goals in six minutes, the fastest hat-trick in the history of the competition, helped Jurgen Klopp’s team secure second place in their group and advance to the competition’s knockout rounds.

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Mo Salah was brought on as a substitute in the 68th minute of the game where he scored three goals in quick succession to defeat the Rangers who have still not managed to score a goal in the champions league.

Liverpool would be hoping to continue this huge performance into the weekend when they faced a Manchester City team that has been ruthless from the beginning of the new campaign.

Salah has struggled to score goals since the start of the new season, so this would be a huge boost ahead of the weekend clash.

🇪🇬 Salah has scored the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history ⚽️⚽️⚽️#UCL pic.twitter.com/9oJqTcZfqk

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 12, 2022

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The manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has reacted to his team’s demolition of Rangers in the UEFA Champions League.

After humiliating Rangers 7-1, the Merseyside club is in a good mood going into the game against the Cityzens. The Reds only need a point to secure a spot in the next round as they are only one point behind Napoli.

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Liverpool have been on a poor run of form since the start of the Premier League this season.

In advance of the Premier League matchup against Manchester City, Klopp was questioned about the team’s mentality. The German claimed that his team would make the best possible preparations for the game. he said:

The best football team is waiting on Sunday, coming to Anfield. We will see what we can do.

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Liverpool winger Luis Diaz has been ruled out until December with a knee ligament injury after being injured in Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal.

Luis Diaz will not return from injury until after the World Cup in a huge injury blow for Liverpool, according to reports.

After Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal, Diaz was seen leaving the Emirates on crutches, and Jurgen Klopp acknowledged that “it doesn’t look good.”

Diaz was forced off just before half-time and was replaced by Roberto Firmino and speaking after the game about Diaz and his team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, Klopp said: ‘He is injured, unfortunately. ‘It doesn’t look good for both. That is the icing on the cake.’

Diaz has arguably been Liverpool’s best player so far this season, registering three goals and two assists across his first eight games in the top flight.

However, Klopp’s team has had a terrible start to the 2022–23 season, falling to 10th in the standings after only two Premier League victories.

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The situation for Liverpool could now get worse as it appears that Diaz won’t return until after the World Cup in Qatar, which begins next month, with the Premier League resuming on December 26.

According to reports from Colombia, Diaz won’t be available for Liverpool’s pivotal matches against Manchester City and Tottenham.

He will miss matches in the Champions League against Rangers, Ajax, and Napoli as well as other matches in the Premier League against West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, and Southampton. He will also miss Derby’s League Cup match.

Liverpool’s poor start to 2022-23 is a dramatic shift from last season, when the Reds were two games away from achieving an unprecedented quadruple.

They were forced to settle for a domestic cup double, winning the FA Cup and League Cup, having missed out on the Premier League title by a single point on the last day of the season and losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid.

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Former Liverpool striker, Michael Owen, has identified midfielder, Jordan Henderson, as the player who helped the Reds defeat Rangers in Tuesday’s Champions League tie.

The right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was protected by Henderson during the match at Anfield, according to Owen, who praised Henderson as the “key” player in Liverpool’s match against Rangers.

Recall that Alexander-Arnold’s name has hardly been out of the headlines in recent weeks as the defender’s place in England’s 2022 FIFA World Cup picture looks in doubt.

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But the 23-year-old put that all to one side to open the scoring for Liverpool in their 2-0 victory against the Scottish giants. Mohammed Salah also scored a penalty.

“I thought Jordan Henderson was key today,” Owen told BT Sport after the game.

“You saw the shape he was playing in the first half, he was filling in for him every time he went forward. To have that insurance behind you when you’re going forward must be a great thing.

“He gets in forward positions and that means there’s a gap there, but when someone’s plugging it, it means he doesn’t have to worry about what’s behind him and that is key. If he’s got Jordan Henderson in the team, I think we will see a different player,” he added.

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