Europa League Draw 2015: Full List of Group-Stage Fixtures and Dates

Liverpool will face Rubin Kazan, Bordeaux and Sion in this year’s Europa League, after the group stages for the 2015 edition of the tournament were drawn on Friday.

Aside from the Reds, Borussia Dortmund also had their fate determined and will go up against PAOK, Krasnodar and Qabala. Tottenham Hotspur will also take part in this year’s competition and will be tasked with getting the better of Anderlecht, Monaco and Qarabag if they’re to get beyond the group stages.

Here’s a recap of the draw in full, per the official Twitter feed, and a closer look at some of biggest names involved in this year’s tournament:

Liverpool

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For Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, the Europa League represents an intriguing proposition as he continues to search for his maiden trophy as Reds boss. The group they’ve drawn doesn’t look too daunting at first glance either, even if a trip to Russia is thrown in there.

Indeed, Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph thinks that with the right fixture line-up, the visit to Kazan might not be so bad:

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Ok Mr Ayre & Mr Rodgers. Work that magic. Kazan (a) Matchday Six, a dead rubber for the kids…. ‘Five things we learned’ off the telly…

— Chris Bascombe (@_ChrisBascombe) August 28, 2015"

It’s a competition the Merseyside club have never really taken too seriously under the tutelage of the Northern Irishman. But with a bolstered squad following some substantial summer investments, the Reds are one of the favourites for this title and will be desperate to impress on the European stage again.

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It’s a tournament the Anfield outfit have a proud history in, too, having won the trophy on three occasions. Who could forget their thrilling triumph over Alaves in 2001?:

For a team that has ambitions of Champions League football next season, this competition could also offer an ideal route through to Europe’s premier competition. After all, Sevilla, last year’s winners, finished fifth in their domestic league but still made it in because of their Europa League triumph.

It may not be taken as a priority, but this is a brilliant opportunity for Liverpool to put together a European cup run and give their fans some memorable away trips to savour. Expect Rodgers to rotate his squad astutely in the group stages, but if the Reds do make it into the knockout rounds, expect the club to take it very seriously indeed.

Borussia Dortmund

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Having endured an extremely difficult domestic campaign in 2014-15, recent Champions League regulars Borussia Dortmund will feel a little disappointed to be in European football’s second-tier competition. Indeed, the modest opposition they’ll play in the group will be a humbling experience for these BVB players.

This competition is an ideal opportunity for new boss Thomas Tuchel to survey the squad available to him. That’ll probably be a necessity, too, given the distance they’ll have to travel for their away fixtures, per Will Unwin of ITV Sport:

The Bundesliga giants had to battle exceptionally hard to make it to this point in the competition. In the first leg of their qualifying round against Odds Ballklubb, BVB were 3-0 down after 22 minutes, before they eventually went on to win the match 4-3. The second leg was a 7-2 thriller in Dortmund’s favour.

As is evident here, Dortmund are already playing a gripping brand of football under Tuchel:

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Dortmund under new coach Thomas Tuchel: Games: 7 Wins: 7 Goals Scored: 26 Goals Conceded: 5 pic.twitter.com/2uBKD72glR

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) August 27, 2015"

The sides that have been fielded in the early stages of the Europa League suggest that Tuchel is going to go all out for glory in this tournament. It’s set to be a transitional season for BVB in the Bundesliga, so European football could quickly become very important for this side. 

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On paper, they’re the strongest team in the tournament, and even though they’ll have to do a bit of travelling, a relatively straightforward group means they’re the early favourites for glory.