Galatasaray paired with Sparta Prague in Europa League playoff round
UEFA Europa League ambassador and former French football player, Julien Escude holds the paper slip of AC Sparta Praha during the UEFA Europa League knockout stage play-off draw at the House of European Football, Nyon, Switzerland, Dec. 18, 2023. (AFP Photo)


Galatasaray, the Turkish juggernauts, are set to face off against Czech side Sparta Prague in the Europa League playoff round, aiming to secure a coveted spot in the last 16, as revealed in Monday's draw.

Having encountered a challenging UEFA Champions League group featuring heavyweights Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Manchester United, Galatasaray found themselves redirected to the Europa League.

Now, the Lions are poised to embark on a journey where their resilience and determination will be tested, as they must invest their efforts to earn passage to the knockout stages.

The draw, conducted at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, revealed the matchups featuring Freiburg, Marseille, Qarabakh, Rennes, Roma, Sparta Prague, Sporting CP and Toulouse as group stage leaders.

Additionally, Benfica, Braga, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Lens, Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Young Boys, who finished third in their UEFA Champions League groups, were also selected to participate.

In this draw, the Europa League group winners earned the status of seeded teams.

The other playoff round fixtures are as follows: