Europa League Draw 2016-17: Schedule of Dates for Play-Off Round Fixtures
West Ham United will face FC Astra Giurgiu in their UEFA Europa League play-off, it was confirmed on Friday.
The draw for the ties was conducted in Nyon, Switzerland, with the Hammers one of 44 teams seeking to progress into the group stage of the tournament.
Slaven Bilic’s men will play the first leg in Romania at the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici, with the return fixture to be staged at their new home, the London Stadium.
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Here is the draw in full and a closer look at some of the sides involved at this stage of the Europa League.
| Astana | vs. | BATE |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | vs. | PAOK |
| Arouca | vs. | Olympiakos |
| Midtjylland | vs. | Osmanlispor |
| Austria Wien | vs. | Rosenborg |
| Beitar Jerusalem | vs. | St-Etienne |
| Trencin | vs. | Rapid Wien |
| Lokomotiva Zagreb | vs. | Genk |
| Vojvodina | vs. | AZ |
| AEK Larnaca | vs. | Liberec |
| FC Astra Giurgiu | vs. | West Ham United |
| Maribor | vs. | Qabala |
| Slavia Praha | vs. | Anderlecht |
| Fenerbahce | vs. | Grasshoppers |
| Brondby | vs. | Panathinaikos |
| Krasnodar | vs. | Partizani |
| Gent | vs. | Shkendija |
| Istanbul Basaksehir | vs. | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| SonderjyskE | vs. | Sparta Praha |
| Sassuolo | vs. | Red Star Belgrade |
| Maccabi Tel-Aviv | vs. | Hadjuk Split |
The ties will be played on August 18 and August 25. Team 1 will play at home in the first leg.
West Ham Set for European Adventure
After managing to make their way through their tie with NK Domzale, West Ham are now on the cusp of the competition’s group stage proper and will be big favourites to progress against Astra.
Bilic’s side enjoyed a memorable 2015-16 season. Inspired by their passionate coach and the brilliance of Dimitri Payet, they pushed up to a respectable seventh-place finish in the Premier League and were one of the most exciting teams to watch in the division.
Coupled with European football this term, the club will also have to acclimatise to new surroundings following their move from the Boleyn Ground.
As this clip from West Ham Central illustrates, there was quite an atmosphere for their first match at their new home:
Although the Europa League has proved to be a hindrance for a lot of sides taking part in it, especially from the Premier League, Bilic has bolstered the squad with some savvy editions.
Indeed, Gokhan Tore and Sofiane Feghouli will offer more diversity in attack, while the versatility of Havard Nordtveit will also come in useful with so many games to play.
It’ll also be a big chance for Payet to display his star quality on the continental stage again following his brilliant showing at the UEFA European Championship this summer.
These numbers from Squawka Football show just how effective the Frenchman was in his debut term at the club:
For him and West Ham, the Europa League will pose a big challenge, and taking on a side like Astra will offer its own problems. However, should they progress beyond the play-off round as expected, Bilic’s men will be one of the most fascinating teams to sample in Europe’s second-tier competition this term.
Other Teams to Watch
While the draw isn’t rife with big names at this juncture, there are some teams whose progress will be intriguing to track in the competition.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce always add a dash of excitement to these tournaments, with a vibrant support and some talented players representing them. Defensively, they’ve made some sound additions this summer, too, with Martin Skrtel, Roman Neustadter and Gregory van der Wiel coming in. They'll play Swiss team Grasshoppers in their play-off.
Italian outfit Sassuolo are also involved in the competition, having made rapid progress since their promotion to Serie A in 2013. They've got a meeting with Red Star Belgrade as they seek to progress to the tournament proper.
As ESPN FC’s David Amoyal noted, it has been a remarkable year for the club:
Another standout name at this stage of the competition is Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian outfit have been regulars in the UEFA Champions League in recent seasons, although they’ve fallen behind Dynamo Kiev on the domestic front.
New boss Paulo Fonseca will be seeking to make a big impression in his first season at the club, and victory over Istanbul Basaksehir will put him in good stead.
