Following Thursday night’s thriller in Portugal, which saw Milan sneaking into the Europa League main stage at the very last breath, the Rossoneri took part in the Group Stage draw alongside Napoli and Roma for Italy.
The seeding pots for the draw delivered a tough group to Stefano Pioli’s side, who will need to make their way in the Europa League Group H through Celtic Glasgow, Sparta Praha, and Lille – all clubs with a more than respectable European pedigree. The French side in the particular, were likely the toughest opponents the Rossoneri could draw from pot 4 – but one cannot always be as lucky as being awarded a penalty in the very last action of their Play-Off game, right?
Napoli, on the other hand, were seeded in Group F with Real Sociedad and their new signing David Silva, on top of AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands and Rijeka of Croatia. It look like an easier endeavor that the Rossoneri‘s, but Gennaro Gattuso’s side may also be at risk if they don’t take the European commitment very seriously.
Roma seem to have been the luckier among the Italian sides as they were paired with Young Boys, CFR Cluj, and CSKA Sofia in Group A. However, with the Swiss side just coming out of a Champions League seasons and the Romanian outfit probably still remembering that day from September 2008 when they did beat the Giallorossi at the Stadio Olimpico in a Champions League game, Paulo Fonseca’s side should also be very careful.
