Bayer Leverkusen face varied Europa League draw including Marseille, Lyon and Salzburg

Bayer Leverkusen and Burkina Faso defender Edmond Tapsoba have discovered their opponents for the UEFA Europa League league phase, with the German side handed a schedule featuring meetings with clubs from across Europe.

The draw, held on Friday, 28 August, gives Xabi Alonso’s team four home fixtures and four away matches. Bayer Leverkusen will welcome Olympique de Marseille, RB Salzburg, Celje and Besiktas to their own stadium.

Those home games will provide Leverkusen with the chance to collect important points in front of their supporters against a varied group of opponents. Olympique de Marseille bring French opposition to Germany, while RB Salzburg offer a meeting with one of Austria’s leading clubs.

Celje will also travel to face Leverkusen, as will Besiktas, completing the club’s home programme in the league phase. The fixtures give Tapsoba and his team-mates the opportunity to build momentum on home territory across four different European contests.

Leverkusen’s away schedule will take them to four countries. Their first listed trip is to France, where they will face Olympique Lyonnais. The German side will then travel to Croatia to play Dinamo Zagreb.

Further journeys await in Poland and Greece. Bayer Leverkusen will visit Lech Poznan before completing their away assignments against OFI Crete.

The draw therefore sets up a demanding European itinerary for Tapsoba and his colleagues, with matches against opponents from France, Austria, Slovenia, Turkiye, Croatia, Poland and Greece. Alongside the challenge of facing a range of clubs, the team must also manage an extensive travel schedule during the league phase.

Leverkusen’s four home fixtures are against Olympique de Marseille, RB Salzburg, Celje and Besiktas, while their four away games are against Olympique Lyonnais, Dinamo Zagreb, Lech Poznan and OFI Crete.

The German club now knows the identity of all eight opponents it will meet in the UEFA Europa League. The draw has given Alonso’s side a programme that combines high-profile home ties with demanding journeys across the continent, while Edmond Tapsoba will be part of the Leverkusen squad preparing for each of those European encounters.