By Can Erozden
ANKARA (AA) - The 2021-22 Europa League groups have been unveiled after a draw on Friday that Istanbul hosted.
Before the draw, the 2021 champions Villarreal's forward Gerard Moreno was named the Europa League player of the 2020-21 season.
The 29-year-old Spaniard scored seven goals in 12 games last season to claim the Europe's second-tier club trophy.
The Europa League's format has been changed this season once the third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League was introduced.
The first change was the number of teams to play in this stage so there will be less teams in the 2021-22 season.
UEFA said in a statement on Aug. 16 that the group phase has been reduced from 48 to 32 teams, the eight groups (A-H) of four.
The eight group winners will qualify for the Europa League Round of 16.
"There will be additional knockout round play-offs prior to the round of 16; these will be between the eight UEFA Europa League group runners-up and the eight third-ranked teams of the UEFA Champions League groups," the UEFA added.
The matches will go on to be played on Thursday except the 2022 final that will be held on May 18 in Seville’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, the home of Sevilla.
This season's Europa League groups are as follows:
Group A: Olympique Lyon, Rangers, Sparta Prague, Brondby
Group B: Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Real Sociedad, Sturm Graz
Group C: Napoli, Leicester City, Spartak Moscow, Legia Warsaw
Group D: Olympiakos, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, Antwerp
Group E: Lazio, Lokomotiv Moscow, Olympique Marseille, Galatasaray
Group F: Braga, Crvena Zvezda, Ludogorets, Midtjylland
Group G: Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic, Real Betis, Ferencvaros
Group H: Dinamo Zagreb, Genk, West Ham United, Rapid Vienna
There were two Turkish clubs seeded Friday's draw; Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
Fenerbahce will play in Group D to face Olympiakos from Greece, Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt and Belgium's Antwerp.
Meanwhile Galatasaray, who were the 2000 champions, will take on Italy's Lazio, Russia's Lokomotiv Moscow and French club Olympique Marseille in Group E.
The Europa League group stage will kick off Sept. 16.