Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace learn Europa League group-stage opponents in Friday draw

Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Celtic will find out their Europa League league-phase opponents on Friday afternoon, when the draw determines the fixture list for the competition’s opening round-robin stage.

For Bournemouth, the occasion carries historic weight: the Cherries have never competed in European football before, having qualified by finishing sixth in the Premier League last season. Sunderland, who came seventh, are returning to continental competition for the first time since the 1973-74 season — a gap of more than five decades.

Crystal Palace enter the tournament as reigning Conference League champions, having lifted the trophy under Oliver Glasner last season. The Eagles are now managed by Pierre Sage, who takes charge of their first Europa League campaign and will hope to guide them deep into the knockout rounds.

Celtic’s presence in the draw comes after a painful exit from the Champions League play-offs, where they suffered what was described as an embarrassing collapse against LASK in the second leg. The Scottish club drop into the Europa League as a result.

The draw also features a number of established European clubs that could provide stern early tests for the British sides. Juventus, AC Milan, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille, Lyon, Olympiacos and Real Sociedad are all involved, bringing considerable continental pedigree to a competition that will test the Premier League trio from the outset.

All three English clubs will be looking to follow the example set by Aston Villa, who won the Europa League last season in a run that captured widespread attention across the Premier League.