The draw of the 12 groups with 48 participating teams brought out of interesting and intriguing match-ups with the most interesting one being Group E with French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais, English Premier League’s Everton FC, Italian Serie A side Atalanta Bergamo (ITA) and Apollon Limassol FC of Cyprus.
2017/18 UEFA Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal CF (ESP), Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR), FC Astana (KAZ), SK Slavia Praha (CZE)
Group B: FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR), BSC Young Boys Berne (SUI), FK Partizan Belgrade (SER), KF Skenderbeu (ALB)
Group C: SC Braga (POR), PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL), TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (GER), Istanbul Basaksehir (TUR)
Group D: AC Milan (ITA), FK Austria Wien (AUT), HNK Rijeka (CRO), AEK Athens FC (GRE)
Group E: Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Everton FC (ENG), Atalanta Bergamo (ITA), Apollon Limassol FC (CYP)
Group F: FC Copenhagen (DEN), FC Lokomotiv Mosvya (RUS), FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA), FC Zlin (CZE)
Group G: FC Viktoria Plzen (CZE), FC Steaua Bucharest (ROM), Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC (ISR), FC Lugano (SUI)
Group H: Arsenal FC (ENG), FC BATE Borisov (BLR), 1.FC Köln (GER), FC Crvena Zvezda (SER)
Group I: FC Salzburg (AUT), Olympique de Marseille (FRA), Vitoria Guimaraes SC (POR), Konyaspor (TUR)
Group J: Athletic Club Bilbao (ESP), Hertha BSC Berlin (GER), FC Zorya Luhansk (URK), Östersunds FK (SWE)
Group K: SS Lazio Roma (ITA), OGC Nice (FRA), SV Zulte Waregem (BEL), Vitesse Arnhem (NED)
Group L: FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS), Real Sociedad San Sebastian (ESP), Rosenburg Trondheim (NOR), FK Vardar Skopje (MKD)