Feyenoord ended up in Pot 2 at the very last minute on Thursday evening for the draw of the group stage of the Europa League. The Rotterdam-squad were close to a spot in Pot 1, but saw it go to Olympiacos late in the evening. The Greeks survived with ten men until a penalty series against Apollon (1-1) and reached the group stage. Feyenoord therefore ends up in Pot 2, where PSV also takes place. The draw starts Friday at 1 p.m.
In contrast to the Champions League, the draw for the Europa League is based entirely on the club coefficient: these are divided from highest to lowest among four pots. Feyenoord (coefficient of 40,000) was on the edge of Pot 1 and 2 after last season’s top performance, but falls just on the unfavorable side. PSV (33,000) has not performed too well in recent years and was already certain of Pot 2 before the play-offs on Thursday.
Pot classification Europa League
| CLUB IN POT 1 | COUNTRY | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| AS Roma | Italy | 100,000 |
| Manchester United | England | 105,000 |
| Arsenal | England | 80,000 |
| Lazio | Italy | 53,000 |
| Sporting Braga | Portugal | 46,000 |
| Red Star Belgrade | Serbia | 46,000 |
| Dinamo Kyiv | Ukraine | 44,000 |
| Olympiacos | Greece | 41,000 |
| CLUBS IN POT 2 | COUNTRY | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| Feyenoord | The Netherlands | 40,000 |
| Stade Rennes | France | 33,000 |
| PSV | The Netherlands | 33,000 |
| AS Monaco | France | 26,000 |
| Real Sociedad | Spain | 26,000 |
| FK Qarabag | Azerbaijan | 25,000 |
| Malmo FF | Sweden | 23,500 |
| Ludogorets | Bulgaria | 23,000 |
| CLUBS IN POT 3 | COUNTRY | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| Sheriff Tiraspol | Moldavia | 22,500 |
| Real Betis | Spain | 21,000 |
| FC Midtjylland | Denmark | 19,000 |
| FK Bodø/Glimt | Norway | 17,000 |
| Ferencvaros | Hungary | 15,500 |
| Union Berlin | Germany | 15.042 |
| SC Freiburg | Germany | 15.042 |
| Fenerbahce | Turkey | 14,500 |
| CLUBS IN POT 4 | COUNTRY | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| Nantes | France | 12.061 |
| HJK Helsinki | Finland | 7,000 |
| Sturm Graz | Austria | 7,770 |
| AEK Larnaca | Cyprus | 7,500 |
| Omonia | Cyprus | 7,000 |
| FC Zurich | Switzerland | 7,000 |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | Belgium | 6.120 |
| Trabzonspor | Turkey | 5,500 |
Pot 1 contains four very appealing names with Arsenal, Manchester United, AS Roma and Lazio. In the sporting field, however, PSV and Feyenoord would rather draw Sporting Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Kyiv or Olympiacos. PSV will be pleased to note that Real Sociedad and AS Monaco, opponents who were already hit last year, are in Pot 2 just like the Eindhoven team and are therefore not a possible opponent.
In addition to the aforementioned clubs, Pot 2 also contains Stade Rennes, Real Sociedad, FK Qarabag, Malmö FF and Ludogorets. Pot 3 will include the following clubs: Sheriff Tiraspol, Real Betis, FC Midtjylland, FK Bodø/Glimt, Ferencváros, Fenerbahçe and two Bundesliga clubs: Union Berlin and SC Freiburg. Trabzonspor, the other Turkish participant, takes place in Pot 4 due to a low coefficient. This also includes Nantes, HJK Helsinki, Sturm Graz, AEK Larnaca, Omonia Nicosia, FC Zurich and Union Sint-Gilloise.