Icon: enlarge
Photo: Harold Cunningham / UEFA HANDOUT / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
In the draw for the group stage in the Europa League, Bayer Leverkusen and TSG Hoffenheim avoided tough opponents such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Villareal and caught groups that were feasible.
Leverkusen will play in Group C against Slavia Prague, Hapoel Be'er Sheva from Israel and OGC Nice, which started moderately in the French Ligue 1.
Hoffenheim is facing the KAA Gent from Belgium, the Serbian representative Crvena Zvezda and Slovan Liberec from the Czech Republic.
The first matchday will be played on October 22nd.
By conceding a goal in stoppage time, the third German participant, VfL Wolfsburg, missed re-participation in the group stage of the Europa League.
The club lost their third and final qualifying game at AEK Athens despite a half-time lead still 1: 2 (1: 0).
As part of the group draw, Romelo Lukaku was named the best player of the 2019/2020 Europa League season.
The Belgian striker from Inter Milan had led his team to the final against Sevilla FC, in which he scored his sixth goal in the competition - and became a tragic figure with his own goal to make it 2: 3.
Icon: The mirror
mfu