Seedings set for Europa League draw
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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The 48-team lineup for the UEFA Europa League group stage is complete and holders Club Atlético de Madrid are among the 12 top seeds for the draw at 13.00CET in Monaco.
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The lineup for today's 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage draw has been completed, with the 48 contenders divided into four seeded pots.
This week's 37 play-off winners join holders Club Atlético de Madrid and the ten losing sides from the UEFA Champions League play-off round in today's group stage draw which will take place from 13.00CET at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. It will be streamed live on UEFA.com.
The 48 sides are split into four seeding pots, with one from each being drawn into the 12 groups, though no team can meet another from the same association. Seeds are based on UEFA's coefficient system with Atlético joined in Pot 1 by 11 other leading clubs. Former European champions Liverpool FC, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Juventus are among them, plus past UEFA Cup winners Sevilla FC, PFC CSKA Moskva and FC Zenit St. Petersburg, as well as Villarreal CF, Sporting Clube de Portugal, VfB Stuttgart and AZ Alkmaar.
Sevilla and Zenit are among ten teams transferring from the UEFA Champions League play-off round, along with AC Sparta Praha, BSC Young Boys, FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Salzburg, FC Sheriff, RSC Anderlecht, Rosenborg BK and UC Sampdoria. In all 24 associations are represented in the draw with four teams each from Spain and Italy.
Games will be played on 16 and 30 September, 22 October, 4 November, 1/2, and 15/16 December. Where possible, teams from the same association will kick off at different times and, on Matchdays 5 and 6, on separate days. In the round of 32 and round of 16 draws in Nyon on 17 December, the top two sides from each section will be joined by the eight teams which finish third in their UEFA Champions League group.
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