Eight Europa League nights await Milan and Juventus after balanced draw

Milan and Juventus have been given balanced schedules in the Europa League, with both Italian clubs avoiding the competition’s most demanding-looking opponents in Friday’s draw.

The two sides will each play eight league-phase matches, with four at home and four away. Milan will begin against Benfica at San Siro, while Juventus will open their campaign at home to Real Sociedad at Allianz Stadium.

Milan and Juventus missed out on the Champions League after a significant downturn in results during last season. Their Europa League campaigns will now provide an opportunity to compete in Europe’s second-tier club competition.

Milan’s fixtures

Milan’s home programme includes matches against Benfica, Ferencvarosi, Sunderland and Ararat-Armenia.

They will face Olympiacos, Salzburg, Bournemouth and Levski Sofia away from home.

Their complete list of fixtures is:

– Milan v Benfica San Siro – Olympiacos v Milan away – Milan v Ferencvarosi San Siro – Salzburg v Milan away – Milan v Sunderland San Siro – Bournemouth v Milan away – Milan v Ararat-Armenia San Siro – Levski Sofia v Milan away

The draw gives Milan a varied schedule, featuring opponents from several different footballing backgrounds. Their home matches will be staged at San Siro, while the away programme includes trips to Olympiacos, Salzburg, Bournemouth and Levski Sofia.

Juventus’ fixtures

Juventus will host Real Sociedad, Rennes, Omonia and NEC Nijmegen at Allianz Stadium.

Their away matches have been drawn against AZ Alkmaar, Ferencvarosi, Celta Vigo and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Juventus’ eight matches are:

– Juventus v Real Sociedad Allianz Stadium – AZ Alkmaar v Juventus away – Juventus v Rennes Allianz Stadium – Ferencvarosi v Juventus away – Juventus v Omonia Allianz Stadium – Celta Vigo v Juventus away – Juventus v NEC Nijmegen Allianz Stadium – Hapoel Be’er Sheva v Juventus away

Like Milan, Juventus have four home fixtures and four away games. Their schedule starts with Real Sociedad in Turin before taking them to AZ Alkmaar. Rennes and Ferencvarosi follow, with Omonia and Celta Vigo next in the sequence.

Juventus will then host NEC Nijmegen before ending their league-phase schedule away to Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

The draw was held on Friday, while UEFA is due to publish the full match schedule on Saturday. Until then, the clubs know their opponents and venues but not the complete confirmed details of when each fixture will be played.

The draw means Italy’s two representatives will both face eight Europa League matches after failing to qualify for the Champions League following their disappointing results last season.

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