Villa and Rapid to meet again

Aston Villa FC will play SK Rapid Wien for the second year in succession following today's draw for the UEFA Europa League play-offs at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.

The two sides met at this stage last season with Rapid advancing on the away-goals rule after beating the 1982 European Champion Clubs' Cup winners 1-0 at home and losing 2-1 away. In all, 74 teams took part in the draw with Villa's Premier League rivals Manchester City FC facing Romania's FC Timişoara while Liverpool FC play Trabzonspor AŞ.

Having seen off FK Rabotnicki in the third qualifying round, last season's semi-finalists Liverpool continue their quest to win the competition for a record fourth time against the Black Sea club who finished fifth in the Turkish Super League last season. Juventus, also three-time winners, take on Austria's SK Sturm Graz having overcome Shamrock Rovers FC in the previous stage.

Including Villa, six former European Cup winners join the competition at this stage, among them FC Porto who take on Belgium's KRC Genk and PSV Eindhoven who face a long trip to UEFA club competition's most easterly club FC Sibir Novosibirsk, a side enjoying their first season in Europe. FC Steaua Bucureşti play Grasshopper-Club and Dutch side Feyenoord face Belgian neighbours KAA Gent.

Azerbaijani surprise-package FK Qarabağ, who knocked out Wisła Kraków on Thursday to reach the play-offs for the second year in succession, are rewarded with a tie against 1997 UEFA Champions League winners BV Borussia Dortmund.

Having shocked Olympiacos FC in the third qualifying round, Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC now face Paris Saint-Germain FC while Győri ETO FC's prize for their surprise win on penalties against Montpellier Hérault SC is a contest with NK Dinamo Zagreb. Turkey's Fenerbahçe SK play Greek neighbours PAOK FC.

The first legs will be played on 19 August, with the returns to follow a week later. The 37 play-off winners will join holders Club Atlético de Madrid and the ten defeated sides from the UEFA Champions League play-offs in the group stage which kicks off on 16 September. The group stage draw takes place in Monaco on 27 August.

Source: uefa.com

UEFA Europa League play-off draw
Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) vs SC Tavriya Simferopol (UKR)
PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS) vs Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP)
HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) vs FC Unirea Urziceni (ROU)
Feyenoord (NED) vs KAA Gent (BEL)
KRC Genk (BEL) vs FC Porto (POR)
Debreceni VSC (HUN) vs PFC Litex Lovech (BUL)
Aris Thessaloniki FC (GRE) vs FK Austria Wien (AUT)
Galatasaray AŞ (TUR) vs FC Karpaty Lviv (UKR)
US Città di Palermo (ITA) vs NK Maribor (SVN)
Club Brugge KV (BEL) vs FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR)
AC Omonia (CYP) vs FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)
SC Vaslui (ROU) vs LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA)
SSC Napoli (ITA) vs IF Elfsborg (SWE)
Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) vs Brøndby IF (DEN)
Grasshopper-Club (SUI) vs FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)
Liverpool FC (ENG) vs Trabzonspor AŞ (TUR)
Celtic FC (SCO) vs FC Utrecht (NED)
Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs FK Qarabağ (AZE)
AIK (SWE) vs PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)
SK Sturm Graz (AUT) vs Juventus (ITA)
Getafe CF (ESP) vs APOEL FC (CYP)
Dundee United FC (SCO) vs AEK Athens FC (GRE)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs FK Aktobe (KAZ)
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) vs KKS Lech Poznań (POL)
SK Rapid Wien (AUT) vs Aston Villa FC (ENG)
PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL) vs The New Saints FC (WAL)
Beşiktaş JK (TUR) vs HJK Helsinki (FIN)
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs VfB Stuttgart (GER)
FC Sibir Novosibirsk (RUS) vs PSV Eindhoven (NED)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR) vs CS Marítimo (POR)
FC Lausanne-Sport (SUI) vs FC Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS)
Győri ETO FC (HUN) vs NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Odense BK (DEN) vs Motherwell FC (SCO)
PAOK FC (GRE) vs Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
Villarreal CF (ESP) vs FC Dnepr Mogilev (BLR)
FC Timişoara (ROU) vs Manchester City FC (ENG)