Galatasaray, the Turkish juggernauts, are set to face off against Czech side Sparta Prague in the Europa League playoff round, aiming to secure a coveted spot in the last 16, as revealed in Monday's draw.
Having encountered a challenging UEFA Champions League group featuring heavyweights Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Manchester United, Galatasaray found themselves redirected to the Europa League.
Now, the Lions are poised to embark on a journey where their resilience and determination will be tested, as they must invest their efforts to earn passage to the knockout stages.
The draw, conducted at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, revealed the matchups featuring Freiburg, Marseille, Qarabakh, Rennes, Roma, Sparta Prague, Sporting CP and Toulouse as group stage leaders.
Additionally, Benfica, Braga, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Lens, Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Young Boys, who finished third in their UEFA Champions League groups, were also selected to participate.
In this draw, the Europa League group winners earned the status of seeded teams.
The other playoff round fixtures are as follows:
The initial matches are scheduled for Feb. 15, 2024, with the return fixtures taking place on Feb. 22, 2024.
The grand finale of the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 season is set to grace the Dublin Arena in the Republic of Ireland on May 22, 2024.
Galatasaray's quest for the cup, though considered challenging, now appears more promising with the absence of UEFA Europa League's notorious "troublemaker," Sevilla, who will be competing this year after finishing at the bottom of their Champions League group.
Meanwhile, Liverpool and West Ham United, veterans of this year's UEFA Europa League, emerged as top contenders for the coveted trophy.
