MINSK, 25 August (BelTA) – FC BATE Borisov have learned their Europe League opponents as the group stage draw took place in Monaco on 25 August. BATE will play England's Arsenal F.C., Germany FC Koln and Serbia's Red Star Belgrade, BelTA has learned.
The Belarusian champions will have very strong rivals. BATE have not played either of them in the UEFA tournaments before. FC BATE Borisov kicked off the season from the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. They at first beat FC Alashkert Armenia 1-1 (at home) and 3-1 (away), and then lost to SK Slavia Prague 0-1 (away) and 2-1 (at home).
The Belarusian team recorded a 1-1 draw on the home ground against Ukraine's Olexandriya in the UEFA Europa League first leg. BATE Borisov took a 2-1 away win over Ukraine's Olexandriya on 24 August to make it 3-2 on aggregate.
BATE will play in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the third time. In the 2009-2010 the Borisov team finished third in their quartet. In the 2010-2011 they placed second and advanced to the Europa League playoff.
The group stage will kick off on 14 September and will be over on 7 December. Two best teams from each group will advance to the tournament's last 32 and will be joined by eight teams that finish third in the Champions League groups. The Europa League playoff will start on 15 February 2018, with the medal games due to take place in France on 18 May. Last year the Europa League trophy was raised by England's Manchester United that beat FC Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 in the final.
