The Rouge et Blanc now know their opponents for the group stage of the Europa League. They will face Red Star Belgrade, Ferencváros and Trabzonspor.
The Monegasques now know who they will face in the Group Stage of the Europa League. The draw, carried out in Istanbul, has placed the Rouge et Blanc in Group H along with Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), Ferencváros (Hungary) and Trabzonspor (Turkey). It will be the first time that the Monegasques will face these three sides.
Three league champions
Let’s take a quick look now at AS Monaco’s opponents. Let’s start with the Red Star Belgrade, from Pot 1. The Serbian champions last season, they were eliminated in the Champions League play-offs by Maccabi Haifa, and were therefore sent to the group stage of the Europa League .
For their part, the Hungarian club Ferencváros, also a national champion, were beaten in the third preliminary round of the Champions League, before winning the Europa League play-offs against Shamrock Rovers. Finally, Trabzonspor, the Turkish champions, failed to qualify for the Champions League, losing in the playoffs against Copenhagen.
Only first place will reach the Round of 16
Remember that since last season and the creation of the Europa League Conference, the regulations concerning qualification have changed slightly. Now, only top spot in the group will qualify directly for the round of 16, while the second place side will have to go through a play-off against a third place side from the Champions League.
Finally, the third place side will be transferred to the Europa League Conference, and will also have to play a playoff against a second-placed side, to hope to continue their adventure in this new competition.
AS Monaco in the Europa League:
🛩 September 8 – 21h00 : Red Star Belgrade – AS Monaco (J1 – Stade Rajko Mitić)
🏠 September 15 – 18h45 : AS Monaco – Ferencváros (J2 – Stade Louis-II)
🏠 October 6 – 18h45 : AS Monaco – Trabzonspor (J3 – Stade Louis-II)
🛩 October 13 – 21h00 : Trabzonspor – AS Monaco (J4 – Stade Senol Günes)
🛩 October 27 – 21h00 : Ferencváros – AS Monaco (J5 – Stade Groupama Aréna)
🏠 November 3 – 18h45 : AS Monaco – Red Star Belgrade (J6 – Stade Louis-II)
The reaction of Paul Mitchell, Sporting Director of AS Monaco:
“At first glance, we may not have come across the biggest names in the competition. But I’ve been in football long enough to know that when you meet these kinds of teams in their stadiums, the atmosphere is special. These are going to be very difficult matches, with supporters who can be fiery and passionate. It’s an important step for our young players to take, to face this kind of situation, a real challenge to take the next step up. We have the objective of winnign as many games as possible in the Europa League to try to get out of the group stage. We feel that the team is better equipped than last season. Again, we wanted to bring competition to every position, and to be competitive in all three competitions.”
Source: www.asmonaco.com
