Feyenoord and PSV face Italian teams in Champions League; Europa League draw finalized
Feyenoord and PSV will both face Italian opposition in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League. Feyenoord will play against AC Milan while PSV will face Juventus. The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday. The first leg of the fixtures will be played on either February 11 or 12. The second leg is scheduled to be played a week later.
The draw for the UEFA Europa League play-off stage was also made on Friday. Ajax was drawn to face Belgian team Royale Union Saint Gilloise, while AZ will play against the Turkish team Galatasaray. FC Twente will face Bodø/Glimt from Norway.
It will not be the first time that PSV have faced Juventus this season. Peter Bosz's side put in a dreadful display in the fixture between the two in the League phase of the UEFA Champions League, resulting in a 3-0 victory for the Italian team from Turin.
Feyenoord will be facing a Dutch international in their matches against AC Milan. Oranje Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders plays for the seven-time Champions League winners. They will play the home match first before traveling to Milan a week later.
Juventus are currently fifth in the Italian league, the Serie A. They finished in 20th position out of the 36 teams. AC Milan is seventh in the Serie A and finished 13th in the UEFA Champions League phase. Juventus will host the first match in the Allianz Stadium, with the second leg being played in Eindhoven a week later.
Ajax will face Royale Union Saint Gilloise, a team from Brussels, Belgium, who are managed by former AZ Alkmaar defender Sebastian Pocognoli. Saint Gilloise finished 20th out of the 36 teams in the first phase of the Europa League. They are currently third in the Belgian league. The Belgians already faced a Dutch side in the Europa League this season, beating FC Twente 1-0.
Galatasaray, the team who Ajax beat on Thursday, will play another two matches against Dutch teams in the competition. The team from Istanbul will face AZ Alkmaar again, having already played away in Alkmaar in November. That match finished 1-1. They will travel to Alkmaar on February 13 before playing the second game at home a week later.
FC Twente, who snuck into the play-off round by winning their last two games, were drawn against Norwegian team Bodø/Glimt. The Norwegians finished just outside of the top eight, which would have ensured them a bye past the playoff round. It is the second season in a row that Bodø/Glimt will face a Dutch side in the knockout phase of a European competition. Ajax knocked the Norwegians out of the UEFA Conference League last year.
