Nyon, February 25 (BNA): Russia’s Spartak Moscow will play in Leipzig in the first leg of the round of 16 of the European League before it needs to find a neutral venue outside the country to host the second leg.
According to the Associated Press, the clubs were pulled to face each other on Friday, about two hours after the UEFA Executive Committee decided not to allow Russian and Ukrainian teams to host matches in their competitions.
UEFA also stripped St Petersburg of hosting this year’s Champions League final, replacing it with the Stade de France outside Paris.
The first matches will be held on March 9 and 10, with the return matches on March 17.
Barcelona will also face Turkish club Galatasaray, as it continues its quest for the first European League title. The Catalan club will host the first leg.
Barcelona are competing in Europe’s second tier for the first time in 18 years – when it was still known as the UEFA Cup – because they finished third in their Champions League group.
Atalanta will play with Bayer Leverkusen, Braga will play with Monaco, Porto will play with Lyon, Rangers will play with Red Star Belgrade, and Real Betis will meet with Eintracht Frankfurt.
The inaugural edition of the European Conference League, in which there were no Russian or Ukrainian clubs left, also held the draw for the round of 16. The squad includes the former European Cup champions Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord.
He will face Marseille Basel, while Eindhoven will face Copenhagen, and Feyenoord will face Partizan Belgrade.
The Norwegian club Bodo / Glimt, the lowest ranked club in the lottery, plays with the Dutch club Alkmaar.
He will also face Leicester Rennes, Vitesse will play Roma, PAOK Thessaloniki will play Gent, and Slavia Prague will meet LASK.
Matches will be played on the same dates as the Europa League. The final is scheduled for May 25 in Tirana, Albania.
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