Europa League Draw 2017-18: Schedule of Dates for Round-of-32 Fixtures

The next round of the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League has taken shape after the tournament's round-of-32 schedule was drawn on Monday.

Udoka Azubuike with the flush

A high-profile meeting between Napoli and RB Leipzig headlines as one of the most appealing fixtures in the first knockout round, while Celtic and Zenit Saint Petersburg will also grab a share of the spotlight in their clash.

Elsewhere, Arsenal will face Swedish club Ostersunds, a meeting that puts into context just how experienced the north Londoners' manager Arsene Wenger is at this level:

Spanish giants Atletico Madrid joined the draw as one of the seeded sides after falling out of the UEFA Champions League, drawing Copenhagen.

Borussia Dortmund were also among the Champions League departed who slotted into the Europa League round of 32, and the Black and Yellows will face Italy's Atalanta.

The official Europa League Twitter account provided a look at the fixture list in full:

The first-leg fixtures are scheduled to take place on February 15, and the return trips will be played on February 22.              

Atletico will be considered one of the major favourites to go on and win the competition after making their entry, although a record of just five goals scored and four conceded in the Champions League will require improvement.

Their meeting against Danish side Copenhagen will also be one of the rare round-of-32 matchups between even slightly familiar foes, per Gracenote Live:

Celtic dropped into the Europa League round of 32 after conceding 18 goals in their Champions League group campaign, and they'll be targeting a more productive performance when they come up against Russian powerhouse Zenit.  

Bhoys midfielder Olivier Ntcham tweeted his excitement to have landed such a tough round-of-32 opponent:

Napoli made a charge at the Serie A summit early on this season, and they'll face Leipzig in the round of 32—a collision between two forces making great strides in their domestic leagues.

Arsenal will consider their clash against Swedish upstarts Ostersunds as encouraging, having waltzed through at the top of their group with relative ease. It's at this stage Wenger will likely begin playing more of his first-team regulars in European football.

The Gunners will be on the road for the first leg, and BT Sport pundit James Horncastle highlighted an English homecoming for a member of the opposition:

They'll be one of the bigger players to keep an eye on, as will the La Liga trio of Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, who are set to play Lyon, Spartak Moscow and Red Bull Salzburg, respectively.

France is also well represented in the round of 32, with Nice and Marseille reaching the next phase alongside Lyon, with the former pair preparing to face respective opponents Lokomotiv Moscow and Braga.