On Monday, in the House of European Football in Nyon the draws of the Europa League were held.
Seven-times European champions AC Milan will begin their Europa League campaign this season away to rank outsiders Shamrock Rovers following the draw on Monday for the second qualifying round.
Milan, who finished sixth in Serie A, are returning to European football after serving a one-year ban for breaching UEFA’s break-even Financial Fair Play rules, which resulted in them missing the Europa League last season.
Milan’s only previous meeting with an Irish side was in 1975 when they beat Athlone Town 3-0 on aggregate in the old UEFA Cup.
It is arguably the most glamorous tie for a League of Ireland team since Cork City faced Bayern Munich in the 1991-92 UEFA Cup, holding out for a 1-1 home draw before losing 2-0 in Germany.
According to the specialist website Transfermarkt, Shamrock’s squad has a combined transfer value of 1.95 million euros, compared with 393.2 million euros for Milan.
English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur were drawn away to Bulgaria’s Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg will visit Albania to play Kukes.
The second qualifying round ties will be played on the 17 September. This season all qualifying ties will be single-leg matches behind closed doors, with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if required.
Winners advance to the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
Champions Path
Inter Escaldes (AND) vs Dundalk (IRL) KuPS (FIN) vs Slovan Bratislava (SVK) Linfield (NIR) vs Floriana (MLT) Riga (LVA) vs Tre Fiori (SMR) Djurgården (SWE) vs Europa (GIB) Flora Tallinn (EST) vs KR Reykjavík (ISL) Sileks (MKD) vs Drita (KOS) Astana (KAZ) vs Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) Ararat-Armenia (ARM) vs Fola Esch (LUX) Connah’s Quay Nomads (WAL) vs Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
Main Path
Hammarby (SWE) vs Lech (POL) Kaysar Kyzylorda (KAZ) vs APOEL (CYP)Nõmme Kalju (EST) or Mura (SVN) v AGF Aarhus (DEN) Maccabi Haifa (ISR) or Željezničar (BIH) vs Kairat Almaty (KAZ) Locomotive Tbilisi (GEO) vs Dynamo Moskva (RUS) Neftçi (AZE) vs Galatasaray (TUR) B36 Tórshavn (FRO) vs TNS (WAL) Coleraine (NIR) vs Motherwell (SCO) IFK Göteborg (SWE) vs Copenhagen (DEN) Bačka Topola (SRB) vs FCSB (ROU) Teuta (ALB) vs Granada (ESP) OFI Crete (GRE) vs Apollon Limassol (CYP) Progrès (LUX) vs Willem II (NED) Viking (NOR) vs Aberdeen (SCO) Bala (WAL) vs Standard Liège (BEL) Sfintul Gheorghe Suruceni (MDA) vs Partizan (SRB) CSKA-Sofia (BUL) vs BATE Borisov (BLR) Botoşani (ROU) vs Shkëndija (MKD) Lokomotiv Plovdiv (BUL) vs Tottenham (ENG) Laç (ALB) vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) Aris (GRE) vs Kolos Kovalivka (UKR) Budapest Honvéd (HUN) vs Malmö (SWE) Ventspils (LVA) vs Rosenborg (NOR) Riteriai (LTU) vs Slovan Liberec (CZE) Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) vs Rangers (SCO) Servette (SUI) vs Reims (FRA) Borac Banja Luka (BIH) vs Rio Ave (POR) Renova (MKD) vs Hajduk Split (CRO) Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs Zrinjski (BIH) Kukës (ALB) vs Wolfsburg (GER) Dunajská Streda (SVK) vs Jablonec (CZE) Piast Gliwice (POL) vs Hartberg (AUT) Osijek (CRO) vs Basel (SUI) Shamrock Rovers (IRL) vs AC Milan (ITA) Hibernians (MLT) vs Fehérvár (HUN) Bodø/Glimt (NOR) vs Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU)
