2017–18 UEFA Europa League

The 2017–18 UEFA Europa League was the 47th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 9th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

2017–18 UEFA Europa League
The Groupama Stadium in Décines-Charpieu hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
29 June – 24 August 2017
Competition proper:
14 September 2017 – 16 May 2018
TeamsCompetition proper: 48+8
Total: 157+33 (from 55 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Atlético Madrid (3rd title)
Runners-upFrance Marseille
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored556 (2.71 per match)
Attendance4,545,716 (22,174 per match)
Top scorer(s)Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao)
Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
8 goals each
Best player(s)Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid)[1]

The final was played at the Groupama Stadium in Décines-Charpieu, France.[2] Atlético Madrid defeated Marseille to win their third Europa League title.

As winners, Atlético Madrid earned the right to play against the winners of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup. Moreover, they would also have been automatically qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group stage,[3] but since they had already qualified through their league performance, the berth reserved was given to the third-placed team of the 2017–18 Ligue 1, the fifth-ranked association according to next season's access list.[4]

Manchester United qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League as the title holders of Europa League.[5] They were unable to defend their title as they qualified for the Champions League knockout phase, and were eliminated by Sevilla in the round of 16.

Association team allocation

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A total of 190 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League.[6] The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[7]

  • Associations 1–51 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
  • Associations 52–54 each had two teams qualify.
  • Liechtenstein and Kosovo (association 55) each had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Kosovo as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).[8]
  • Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League.

Starting from this season, Gibraltar were granted two spots instead of one in the Europa League.[9] Kosovo, who became a UEFA member on 3 May 2016, made their debut in the UEFA Europa League.[8][10]

Association ranking

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For the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2016 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2011–12 to 2015–16.[11][12]

Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Europa League, as noted below:

  • (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
  • (UEL) – Vacated berth due to UEFA Europa League title holders playing in UEFA Champions League
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
1 Spain105.7133+1 (UCL)
2 Germany80.177+3 (UCL)
3 England76.284−1 (UEL)
4 Italy70.439+1 (UCL)
5 Portugal53.082+1 (UCL)
6 France52.749+1 (UCL)
7 Russia51.082+2 (UCL)
8 Ukraine44.883+1 (UCL)
9 Belgium40.000+1 (UCL)
10 Netherlands35.563+1 (UCL)
11 Turkey34.600+1 (UCL)
12 Switzerland33.775+1 (UCL)
13 Czech Republic32.925+2 (UCL)
14 Greece29.700+1 (UCL)
15 Romania25.383+2 (UCL)
16 Austria25.100+1 (UCL)
17 Croatia23.875+1 (UCL)
18 Poland22.500+1 (UCL)
19 Cyprus22.175
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
20 Belarus20.0003+1 (UCL)
21 Sweden19.875
22 Norway19.250+1 (UCL)
23 Israel18.625+1 (UCL)
24 Denmark18.600+1 (UCL)
25 Scotland17.300+1 (UCL)
26 Azerbaijan14.875
27 Serbia14.625+1 (UCL)
28 Kazakhstan14.125+1 (UCL)
29 Bulgaria13.125+1 (UCL)
30 Slovenia13.125
31 Slovakia12.000
32 Liechtenstein10.5001
33 Hungary9.8753
34 Moldova9.125+1 (UCL)
35 Iceland8.750+1 (UCL)
36 Georgia8.125
37 Finland7.400
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
38 Bosnia and Herzegovina7.1253
39 Albania6.625
40 Macedonia6.000+1 (UCL)
41 Republic of Ireland5.450
42 Latvia5.375
43 Luxembourg5.250
44 Montenegro4.875
45 Lithuania4.625
46 Northern Ireland4.500
47 Estonia4.250
48 Armenia4.125
49 Faroe Islands3.625
50 Malta3.583
51 Wales3.500
52 Gibraltar1.0002
53 Andorra0.999
54 San Marino0.333
55 Kosovo0.0001

Distribution

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In the default access list, Manchester United entered the group stage (as the sixth-placed team of the 2016–17 Premier League).[10] However, since they qualified for the Champions League as the Europa League title holders, the spot which they qualified for in the Europa League group stage was vacated, and the following changes to the default allocation system were made:[13][14][15][16]

  • The domestic cup winners of association 13 (Czech Republic) are promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage.
  • The domestic cup winners of association 18 (Poland) are promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The domestic cup winners of associations 25 (Scotland) and 26 (Azerbaijan) are promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
First qualifying round
(100 teams)
  • 29 domestic cup winners from associations 27–55
  • 36 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–54 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 35 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–51 (except Liechtenstein)
Second qualifying round
(66 teams)
  • 8 domestic cup winners from associations 19–26
  • 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17
  • 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 50 winners from first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(58 teams)
  • 5 domestic cup winners from associations 14–18
  • 9 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–15
  • 5 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 5–9
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France)
  • 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England)
  • 33 winners from second qualifying round
Play-off round
(44 teams)
  • 29 winners from third qualifying round
  • 15 losers from Champions League third qualifying round
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • 13 domestic cup winners from associations 1–13
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 4
  • 2 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (except Europa League title holders)
  • 22 winners from play-off round
  • 10 losers from Champions League play-off round
Knockout phase
(32 teams)
  • 12 group winners from group stage
  • 12 group runners-up from group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage

Redistribution rules

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A Europa League place was vacated when a team qualified for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualified for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place was vacated, it was redistributed within the national association by the following rules (regulations Articles 3.03 and 3.04):[7]

  • When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moving up one "place".
  • When the domestic cup winners also qualified for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moving up one "place" if possible.
  • For associations where a Europa League place was reserved for either the League Cup or end-of-season European competition play-offs winners, they always qualified for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier. If the League Cup winners had already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place was taken by the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions.

Teams

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The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[17][18]

  • CW: Cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
  • LC: League Cup winners
  • RW: Regular season winners
  • PW: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners
  • UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
Round of 32
CSKA Moscow (UCL GS) Atlético Madrid (UCL GS) Spartak Moscow (UCL GS) RB Leipzig (UCL GS)
Celtic (UCL GS) Sporting CP (UCL GS) Napoli (UCL GS) Borussia Dortmund (UCL GS)
Group stage
Villarreal (5th) Vitória de Guimarães (4th) Lugano (3rd) İstanbul Başakşehir (UCL PO)
Real Sociedad (6th) Lyon (4th) Fastav Zlín (CW) Young Boys (UCL PO)
1. FC Köln (5th) Lokomotiv Moscow (CW) Copenhagen (UCL PO) Nice (UCL PO)
Hertha BSC (6th) Zorya Luhansk (3rd) Slavia Prague (UCL PO) 1899 Hoffenheim (UCL PO)
Arsenal (CW) Zulte Waregem (CW) Rijeka (UCL PO) FCSB (UCL PO)
Atalanta (4th) Vitesse (CW) Astana (UCL PO)
Lazio (5th) Konyaspor (CW) Hapoel Be'er Sheva (UCL PO)
Play-off round
BATE Borisov (UCL Q3) Rosenborg (UCL Q3) Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL Q3) Dynamo Kyiv (UCL Q3)
Legia Warsaw (UCL Q3) Ludogorets Razgrad (UCL Q3) Partizan (UCL Q3) AEK Athens (UCL Q3)
FH (UCL Q3) Viitorul Constanța (UCL Q3) Viktoria Plzeň (UCL Q3) Club Brugge (UCL Q3)
Vardar (UCL Q3) Red Bull Salzburg (UCL Q3) Ajax (UCL Q3)
Third qualifying round
Athletic Bilbao (7th) Bordeaux (6th) PSV Eindhoven (3rd) Universitatea Craiova (5th)[Note ROU]
SC Freiburg (7th) Zenit Saint Petersburg (3rd) Fenerbahçe (3rd) Austria Wien (2nd)
Everton (7th) Krasnodar (4th) Sion (4th) Dinamo Zagreb (2nd)
Milan (6th) Olimpik Donetsk (4th) Sparta Prague (3rd) Arka Gdynia (CW)
Braga (5th) Oleksandriya (5th) PAOK (CW)
Marítimo (6th) Gent (3rd) Panathinaikos (3rd)
Marseille (5th) Oostende (PW) Dinamo București (3rd)
Second qualifying round
Utrecht (PW) Panionios (5th) Apollon Limassol (CW) Bnei Yehuda (CW)
Galatasaray (4th) Astra Giurgiu (6th)[Note ROU] Dinamo Brest (CW) Brøndby (2nd)
Luzern (5th) Sturm Graz (3rd) Östersund (CW) Aberdeen (2nd)
Mladá Boleslav (4th) Hajduk Split (3rd) Brann (2nd) Gabala (2nd)
First qualifying round
Rheindorf Altach (4th) Ordabasy (4th) VPS (4th) Crusaders (2nd)
Osijek (4th) Botev Plovdiv (CW) Široki Brijeg (CW) Coleraine (3rd)
Jagiellonia Białystok (2nd) Levski Sofia (3rd) Željezničar Sarajevo (2nd) Ballymena United (PW)
Lech Poznań (3rd) Dunav Ruse (4th)[Note BUL] Sarajevo (3rd) Levadia Tallinn (2nd)
AEK Larnaca (2nd) Domžale (CW) Tirana (CW) Nõmme Kalju (3rd)
AEL Limassol (4th) Gorica (2nd) Partizani (2nd) Flora Tallinn (4th)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk (2nd) Olimpija Ljubljana (3rd) Skënderbeu (3rd) Shirak (CW)
Dinamo Minsk (3rd) Slovan Bratislava (CW) Pelister (CW) Gandzasar Kapan (2nd)
AIK (2nd) Ružomberok (3rd) Shkëndija (2nd) Pyunik (4th)
IFK Norrköping (3rd) Trenčín (4th) Rabotnički (3rd) (CW)
Odd (3rd) Vaduz (CW) Cork City (CW) NSÍ Runavík (3rd)
Haugesund (4th) Ferencváros (CW) Derry City (3rd)[Note IRL] B36 Tórshavn (4th)
Maccabi Tel Aviv (2nd) Videoton (2nd) Shamrock Rovers (4th) Floriana (CW)
Beitar Jerusalem (3rd) Vasas (3rd) Ventspils (CW) Balzan (2nd)
Lyngby (3rd) Dacia Chișinău (2nd) Jelgava (2nd) Valletta (4th)[Note MLT]
Midtjylland (PW) Milsami Orhei (3rd) Liepāja (4th) Bala Town (CW)
Rangers (3rd) Zaria Bălți (4th) Differdange 03 (2nd) Connah's Quay Nomads (2nd)
St Johnstone (4th) Valur (CW) Fola Esch (3rd) Bangor City (PW)
Inter Baku (3rd) Stjarnan (2nd) Progrès Niederkorn (4th) Lincoln Red Imps (2nd)
Zira (4th) KR (3rd) Sutjeska Nikšić (CW) St Joseph's (3rd)
Red Star Belgrade (2nd) Torpedo Kutaisi (CW) Zeta (2nd) UE Santa Coloma (CW)
Vojvodina (3rd) Chikhura Sachkhere (2nd) Mladost Podgorica (3rd) Sant Julià (2nd)
Mladost Lučani (4th) Dinamo Batumi (3rd) Trakai (2nd) Tre Penne (CW)
Kairat (2nd) SJK (CW) Sūduva Marijampolė (3rd) Folgore (3rd)
Irtysh Pavlodar (3rd) HJK (2nd) Atlantas (4th) Prishtina (2nd)[Note KOS]

Notably two teams took part in the competition that were not playing in their national top division, Tirana (2nd tier) and Vaduz (representing Liechtenstein, playing in Swiss second tier).

Notes
  1. ^
    Bulgaria (BUL): On 29 May 2017 a UEFA letter to the Bulgarian Football Union declared that CSKA Sofia, the runners-up of the 2016–17 First Professional Football League, were not allowed to compete in the Europa League as they were considered to have been re-formed as a new club and thus did not pass the "three-year rule".[19] As this decision was appealed by CSKA Sofia, the Bulgarian Football Union granted a license to them subject to legal proceedings.[20][21][22] A few hours prior to the Europa League first qualifying round draw, UEFA replaced them with Dunav Ruse, the fourth-placed team of the league.[23]
  2. ^
    Kosovo (KOS): Besa Pejë would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the winners of the 2016–17 Kosovar Cup, but failed to obtain a UEFA license.[24] As a result, the berth was given to the runners-up of the 2016–17 Football Superleague of Kosovo, Prishtina.
  3. ^
    Malta (MLT): Birkirkara would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the third-placed team of the 2016–17 Maltese Premier League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[25] As a result, the berth was given to the fourth-placed team of the league, Valletta.
  4. ^
    Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland, but participate in the Europa League through one of the berths for the Republic of Ireland (any coefficient points they earn count toward Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland).
  5. ^
    Romania (ROU): Voluntari would have qualified for the Europa League third qualifying round as the winners of 2016–17 Cupa României, and CFR Cluj would have qualified for the second qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2016–17 Liga I, but both failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[26] As a result, the third qualifying round berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Universitatea Craiova, and the second qualifying round berth was given to the sixth-placed team of the league, Astra Giurgiu.

Round and draw dates

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The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[10][27][28]

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingFirst qualifying round19 June 201729 June 20176 July 2017
Second qualifying round13 July 201720 July 2017
Third qualifying round14 July 201727 July 20173 August 2017
Play-offPlay-off round4 August 201717 August 201724 August 2017
Group stageMatchday 125 August 2017
(Monaco)
14 September 2017
Matchday 228 September 2017
Matchday 319 October 2017
Matchday 42 November 2017
Matchday 523 November 2017
Matchday 67 December 2017
Knockout phaseRound of 3211 December 201715 February 201822 February 2018
Round of 1623 February 20188 March 201815 March 2018
Quarter-finals16 March 20185 April 201812 April 2018
Semi-finals13 April 201826 April 20183 May 2018
Final16 May 2018 at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu

Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

Qualifying rounds

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In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2017 UEFA club coefficients,[29][30][31] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

First qualifying round

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The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 19 June 2017, 13:00 CEST.[32]The first legs were played on 29 June, and the second legs were played on 4 and 6 July 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Maccabi Tel Aviv 5–0 Tirana2–03–0
Mladost Lučani 0–5 Inter Baku0–30–2
Shirak 2–4 Gorica0–22–2
Shkëndija 7–0[A] Dacia Chișinău3–04–0
Trenčín 8–1 Torpedo Kutaisi5–13–0
Kairat 8–1 Atlantas6–02–1
Chikhura Sachkhere 1–2 Rheindorf Altach0–11–1
Zira 4–1 Differdange 032–02–1
Levski Sofia 3–1 Sutjeska Nikšić3–10–0
Lech Poznań 7–0 Pelister4–03–0
Beitar Jerusalem 7–3 Vasas4–33–0
Fola Esch 3–2 Milsami Orhei2–11–1
Vojvodina 2–3 Ružomberok2–10–2
Irtysh Pavlodar 3–0 Dunav Ruse1–02–0
Mladost Podgorica 4–0 Gandzasar Kapan1–03–0
Široki Brijeg 2–0[A] Ordabasy2–00–0
Partizani 1–4 Botev Plovdiv1–30–1
Pyunik 1–9[A] Slovan Bratislava1–40–5
Dinamo Batumi 0–5[A] Jagiellonia Białystok0–10–4
Videoton 5–3 Balzan2–03–3
Red Star Belgrade 6–3 Floriana3–03–3
UE Santa Coloma 0–6 Osijek0–20–4
Tre Penne 0–7[A] Rabotnički0–10–6
Željezničar Sarajevo 3–2 Zeta1–02–2
St Joseph's 0–10[A] AEL Limassol0–40–6
Valletta 3–0 Folgore2–01–0
Zaria Bălți 3–3 (6–5 p) Sarajevo2–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Rangers 1–2 Progrès Niederkorn1–00–2
AEK Larnaca 6–1 Lincoln Red Imps5–01–1
Skënderbeu 6–0 Sant Julià1–05–0
Ventspils 0–1 Valur0–00–1
Bala Town 1–5 Vaduz1–20–3
Domžale 5–2 Flora Tallinn2–03–2
Midtjylland 10–2 Derry City6–14–1
Haugesund 7–0 Coleraine7–00–0
St Johnstone 1–3 Trakai1–20–1
VPS 2–0 Olimpija Ljubljana1–01–0
Crusaders 3–3 (a) Liepāja3–10–2
Dinamo Minsk 4–1 NSÍ Runavík2–12–0
Stjarnan 0–2 Shamrock Rovers0–10–1
Odd 5–0 Ballymena United3–02–0
Connah's Quay Nomads 1–3 HJK1–00–3
Nõmme Kalju 4–2 B36 Tórshavn2–12–1
Ferencváros 3–0 Jelgava2–01–0
IFK Norrköping 6–0 Prishtina5–01–0
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–2 Sūduva Marijampolė0–01–2
KR 2–0[A] SJK0–02–0
Levadia Tallinn 2–6 Cork City0–22–4
Lyngby 4–0 Bangor City1–03–0
0–5[A] AIK0–00–5
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Second qualifying round

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The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 19 June 2017, 14:30 CEST (after the completion of the first qualifying round draw).[32]The first legs were played on 12 and 13 July, and the second legs were played on 20 July 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Beitar Jerusalem 1–5[B] Botev Plovdiv1–10–4
Apollon Limassol 5–1 Zaria Bălți3–02–1
Rabotnički 1–4 Dinamo Minsk1–10–3
Slovan Bratislava 1–3 Lyngby0–11–2
Shamrock Rovers 2–5 Mladá Boleslav2–30–2
Željezničar Sarajevo 0–2 AIK0–00–2
Cork City 0–2[B] AEK Larnaca0–10–1
Kairat 1–3 Skënderbeu1–10–2
Panionios 5–2 Gorica2–03–2
Astra Giurgiu 3–1[B] Zira3–10–0
Haugesund 3–4 Lech Poznań3–20–2
Brøndby 3–2 VPS2–01–2
IFK Norrköping 3–3 (3–5 p) Trakai2–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Hajduk Split 3–1 Levski Sofia1–02–1
Nõmme Kalju 1–4 Videoton0–31–1
Maccabi Tel Aviv 5–1 KR3–12–0
Valletta 1–3 Utrecht0–01–3
Ružomberok 2–1 Brann0–12–0
Liepāja 1–2 Sūduva Marijampolė0–21–0
Gabala 3–1 Jagiellonia Białystok1–12–0
Progrès Niederkorn 1–3 AEL Limassol0–11–2
Rheindorf Altach 4–1 Dinamo Brest1–13–0
Östersund 3–1 Galatasaray2–01–1
Inter Baku 2–4 Fola Esch1–01–4
Vaduz 0–2 Odd0–10–1
Valur 3–5 Domžale1–22–3
Irtysh Pavlodar 1–3 Red Star Belgrade1–10–2
Aberdeen 3–1 Široki Brijeg1–12–0
Ferencváros 3–7 Midtjylland2–41–3
Sturm Graz 3–1 Mladost Podgorica0–13–0
Shkëndija 4–2 HJK3–11–1
Trenčín 1–3 Bnei Yehuda1–10–2
Osijek 3–2 Luzern2–01–2
Notes
  1. ^ a b c
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Third qualifying round

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The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 14 July 2017, 13:00 CEST.[33]The first legs were played on 27 July, and the second legs were played on 2 and 3 August 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
PSV Eindhoven 0–2 Osijek0–10–1
Trakai 2–4 Shkëndija2–10–3
Krasnodar 5–2 Lyngby2–13–1
Sturm Graz 2–3 Fenerbahçe1–21–1
Panathinaikos 3–1 Gabala1–02–1
Mladá Boleslav 3–3 (2–4 p) Skënderbeu2–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Austria Wien 2–1 AEL Limassol0–02–1
Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 Odd2–10–0
Dinamo București 1–4 Athletic Bilbao1–10–3
Olimpik Donetsk 1–3 PAOK1–10–2
Arka Gdynia 4–4 (a) Midtjylland3–21–2
Östersund 3–1 Fola Esch1–02–1
Bordeaux 2–2 (a) Videoton2–10–1
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2–0 Panionios1–01–0
Utrecht 2–2 (a) Lech Poznań0–02–2
Universitatea Craiova 0–3 Milan0–10–2
Brøndby 0–2 Hajduk Split0–00–2
Gent 2–4 Rheindorf Altach1–11–3
Astra Giurgiu 0–1 Oleksandriya0–00–1
Everton 2–0 Ružomberok1–01–0
Aberdeen 2–3 Apollon Limassol2–10–2
Red Star Belgrade 3–0 Sparta Prague2–01–0
Botev Plovdiv 0–2 Marítimo0–00–2
Bnei Yehuda 1–2[C] Zenit Saint Petersburg0–21–0
Marseille 4–2 Oostende4–20–0
SC Freiburg 1–2 Domžale1–00–2
AEK Larnaca 3–1 Dinamo Minsk2–01–1
AIK 2–3 Braga1–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Sūduva Marijampolė 4–1 Sion3–01–1
Notes
  1. ^
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Play-off round

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The draw for the play-off round was held on 4 August 2017, 13:00 CEST.[34]The first legs were played on 16 and 17 August, and the second legs were played on 24 August 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Milan 7–0[D] Shkëndija6–01–0
Osijek 2–2 (a) Austria Wien1–21–0
Krasnodar 4–4 (a)[D] Red Star Belgrade3–21–2
Club Brugge 0–3 AEK Athens0–00–3
Marítimo 1–3 Dynamo Kyiv0–01–3
Panathinaikos 2–4 Athletic Bilbao2–30–1
Apollon Limassol 4–3 Midtjylland3–21–1
FH 3–5 Braga1–22–3
Everton 3–1 Hajduk Split2–01–1
Viitorul Constanța 1–7 Red Bull Salzburg1–30–4
Vardar 4–1 Fenerbahçe2–02–1
Ajax 2–4 Rosenborg0–12–3
Rheindorf Altach 2–3 Maccabi Tel Aviv0–12–2
BATE Borisov 3–2 Oleksandriya1–12–1
Dinamo Zagreb 1–1 (a) Skënderbeu1–10–0
Ludogorets Razgrad 2–0 Sūduva Marijampolė2–00–0
Domžale 1–4 Marseille1–10–3
Partizan 4–0 Videoton0–04–0
Utrecht 1–2 Zenit Saint Petersburg1–00–2 (a.e.t.)
Legia Warsaw 1–1 (a) Sheriff Tiraspol1–10–0
Viktoria Plzeň 3–1 AEK Larnaca3–10–0
PAOK 3–3 (a) Östersund3–10–2
Notes
  1. ^ a b
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Group stage

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Location of teams of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Red: Group A; Yellow: Group B; Green: Group C; Dark Green: Group D;
Purple: Group E; Pink: Group F; Blue: Group G; Orange: Group H;
Brown: Group I; Deep pink: Group J; Cyan: Group K; Spring green: Group L.

The draw for the group stage was held on 25 August 2017, 13:00 CEST, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[35] The 48 teams were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots based on their 2017 UEFA club coefficients.[29][30][31]

In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage. The matchdays were 14 September, 28 September, 19 October, 2 November, 23 November, and 7 December 2017.

A total of 29 national associations were represented in the group stage. Arsenal, Atalanta, Fastav Zlín, 1899 Hoffenheim, İstanbul Başakşehir, 1. FC Köln, Lugano, Milan, Östersund, Real Sociedad, Red Star Belgrade, Vardar and Vitesse made their debut appearances in the UEFA Europa League group stage (although Milan and Red Star Belgrade had appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage). Vardar were the first team from Macedonia to play in either the Champions League or Europa League group stage.[36]

Group A

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationVILASTSLPMTA
1 Villarreal6321106+411Advance to knockout phase3–12–20–1
2 Astana6312107+3102–31–14–0
3 Slavia Prague622266080–20–11–0
4 Maccabi Tel Aviv611418−740–00–10–2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group B

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationDKVPARYBSKE
1 Dynamo Kyiv6411159+613Advance to knockout phase4–12–23–1
2 Partizan622289−182–32–12–0
3 Young Boys613278−160–11–12–1
4 Skënderbeu6123610−453–20–01–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group C

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationBRALUDIBSHOF
1 Braga631298+110Advance to knockout phase0–22–13–1
2 Ludogorets Razgrad623175+291–11–22–1
3 İstanbul Başakşehir622278−182–10–01–1
4 1899 Hoffenheim6123810−251–21–13–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group D

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationMILAEKRJKAW
1 Milan6321136+711Advance to knockout phase0–03–25–1
2 AEK Athens615065+180–02–22–2
3 Rijeka62131112−172–01–21–4
4 Austria Wien6123916−751–50–01–3
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group E

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationATALYOEVEAPL
1 Atalanta6420144+1014Advance to knockout phase1–03–03–1
2 Lyon6321114+7111–13–04–0
3 Everton6114715−841–51–22–2
4 Apollon Limassol6033514−931–11–10–3
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group F

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationLOMKOBSHEZLI
1 Lokomotiv Moscow632194+511Advance to knockout phase2–11–23–0
2 Copenhagen623173+49[a]0–02–03–0
3 Sheriff Tiraspol62314409[a]1–10–01–0
4 Fastav Zlín6024110−920–21–10–0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Sheriff Tiraspol 0–0 Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2–0 Sheriff Tiraspol.

Group G

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationPLZFCSBLUGHBS
1 Viktoria Plzeň6402138+512Advance to knockout phase2–04–13–1
2 FCSB631297+2103–01–21–1
3 Lugano6303911−293–21–21–0
4 Hapoel Be'er Sheva6114510−540–21–22–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group H

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationARSZVEKLNBATE
1 Arsenal6411144+1013Advance to knockout phase0–03–16–0
2 Red Star Belgrade623132+190–11–01–1
3 1. FC Köln620478−161–00–15–2
4 BATE Borisov6123616−1052–40–01–0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group I

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationSALMARKONVSC
1 Red Bull Salzburg633071+612Advance to knockout phase1–00–03–0
2 Marseille622244080–01–02–1
3 Konyaspor613246−260–21–12–1
4 Vitória de Guimarães612359−451–11–01–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group J

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationATHOSTZORHRT
1 Athletic Bilbao632185+311[a]Advance to knockout phase1–00–13–2
2 Östersund632184+411[a]2–22–01–0
3 Zorya Luhansk620439−660–20–22–1
4 Hertha BSC612367−150–01–12–0
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Östersund 2–2 Athletic Bilbao, Athletic Bilbao 1–0 Östersund.

Group K

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationLAZNCEZULVIT
1 Lazio6411127+513Advance to knockout phase1–02–01–1
2 Nice6303127+591–33–13–0
3 Zulte Waregem6213813−573–21–51–1
4 Vitesse6123510−552–31–00–2
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group L

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationZENRSROSVRD
1 Zenit Saint Petersburg6510175+1216Advance to knockout phase3–13–12–1
2 Real Sociedad6402166+10121–34–03–0
3 Rosenborg6123611−551–10–13–1
4 Vardar6015320−1710–50–61–1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Knockout phase

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In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other.

Bracket

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Round of 32Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
                  
Napoli123
RB Leipzig (a)303
RB Leipzig213
Zenit Saint Petersburg112
Celtic101
Zenit Saint Petersburg033
RB Leipzig123
Marseille055
Marseille303
Braga011
Marseille325
Athletic Bilbao112
Spartak Moscow123
Athletic Bilbao314
Marseille (a.e.t.)213
Red Bull Salzburg022
FCSB112
Lazio055
Lazio224
Dynamo Kyiv202
AEK Athens101
Dynamo Kyiv (a)101
Lazio415
Red Bull Salzburg246
Borussia Dortmund314
Atalanta213
Borussia Dortmund101
Red Bull Salzburg202
Real Sociedad213
Red Bull Salzburg224
Marseille0
Atlético Madrid3
Ludogorets Razgrad000
Milan314
Milan011
Arsenal235
Östersund022
Arsenal314
Arsenal426
CSKA Moscow123
Red Star Belgrade000
CSKA Moscow011
CSKA Moscow (a)033
Lyon123
Lyon314
Villarreal101
Arsenal101
Atlético Madrid112
Copenhagen101
Atlético Madrid415
Atlético Madrid358
Lokomotiv Moscow011
Nice202
Lokomotiv Moscow314
Atlético Madrid202
Sporting CP011
Astana134
Sporting CP336
Sporting CP (a.e.t.)213
Viktoria Plzeň022
Partizan101
Viktoria Plzeň123


Round of 32

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The draw for the round of 32 was held on 11 December 2017, 13:00 CET.[37]The first legs were played on 13 and 15 February, and the second legs were played on 21 and 22 February 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Borussia Dortmund 4–3 Atalanta3–21–1
Nice 2–4 Lokomotiv Moscow2–30–1
Copenhagen 1–5 Atlético Madrid1–40–1
Spartak Moscow 3–4 Athletic Bilbao1–32–1
AEK Athens 1–1 (a) Dynamo Kyiv1–10–0
Celtic 1–3 Zenit Saint Petersburg1–00–3
Napoli 3–3 (a) RB Leipzig1–32–0
Red Star Belgrade 0–1 CSKA Moscow0–00–1
Lyon 4–1 Villarreal3–11–0
Real Sociedad 3–4 Red Bull Salzburg2–21–2
Partizan 1–3 Viktoria Plzeň1–10–2
FCSB 2–5 Lazio1–01–5
Ludogorets Razgrad 0–4 Milan0–30–1
Astana 4–6 Sporting CP1–33–3
Östersund 2–4 Arsenal0–32–1
Marseille 3–1 Braga3–00–1

Round of 16

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The draw for the round of 16 was held on 23 February 2018, 13:00 CET.[38]The first legs were played on 8 March, and the second legs were played on 15 March 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Lazio 4–2 Dynamo Kyiv2–22–0
RB Leipzig 3–2 Zenit Saint Petersburg2–11–1
Atlético Madrid 8–1 Lokomotiv Moscow3–05–1
CSKA Moscow 3–3 (a) Lyon0–13–2
Marseille 5–2 Athletic Bilbao3–12–1
Sporting CP 3–2 Viktoria Plzeň2–01–2 (a.e.t.)
Borussia Dortmund 1–2 Red Bull Salzburg1–20–0
Milan 1–5 Arsenal0–21–3

Quarter-finals

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The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 16 March 2018, 13:00 CET.[39]The first legs were played on 5 April, and the second legs were played on 12 April 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
RB Leipzig 3–5 Marseille1–02–5
Arsenal 6–3 CSKA Moscow4–12–2
Atlético Madrid 2–1 Sporting CP2–00–1
Lazio 5–6 Red Bull Salzburg4–21–4

Semi-finals

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The draw for the semi-finals was held on 13 April 2018, 12:00 CEST.[40]The first legs were played on 26 April, and the second legs were played on 3 May 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Marseille 3–2 Red Bull Salzburg2–01–2 (a.e.t.)
Arsenal 1–2 Atlético Madrid1–10–1

Final

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The final was played at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu on 16 May 2018. The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the semi-final draw.[40]

Marseille 0–3 Atlético Madrid
Report

Statistics

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Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers

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Rank[42]PlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Ciro Immobile Lazio8582
Aritz Aduriz Athletic Bilbao801
3 Júnior Moraes Dynamo Kyiv7742
4 Mario Balotelli Nice6528
Antoine Griezmann Atlético Madrid631
Aleksandr Kokorin Zenit Saint Petersburg698
André Silva Milan722
Emiliano Rigoni Zenit Saint Petersburg775
Manuel Fernandes Lokomotiv Moscow900
10 Harlem Gnohéré FCSB5344
Willian José Real Sociedad384
Patrick Twumasi Astana717
Valon Berisha Red Bull Salzburg1138
Mu'nas Dabbur Red Bull Salzburg1286

Top assists

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Rank[42]PlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played
1 Dimitri Payet Marseille7811
2 Sergio Canales Real Sociedad6557
3 Luis Alberto Lazio5644
Stefan Lainer Red Bull Salzburg1290
5 Theo Walcott Arsenal4424
Xabi Prieto Real Sociedad483
Raphael Holzhauser Austria Wien536
Bruno Fernandes Sporting CP567
Mesut Özil Arsenal609
Hakan Çalhanoğlu Milan613
Aleksei Miranchuk Lokomotiv Moscow784

Squad of the season

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The UEFA technical study group selected the following 18 players as the squad of the tournament.[43]

Pos.PlayerTeam
GK Jan Oblak Atlético Madrid
Rui Patrício Sporting CP
DF Leonardo Bonucci Milan
Diego Godín Atlético Madrid
Stefan Lainer Red Bull Salzburg
Luiz Gustavo Marseille
Bouna Sarr Marseille
MF Bruno Fernandes Sporting CP
Naby Keïta RB Leipzig
Koke Atlético Madrid
Saúl Ñíguez Atlético Madrid
Gabi Atlético Madrid
Diadie Samassékou Red Bull Salzburg
FW Gelson Martins Sporting CP
Antoine Griezmann Atlético Madrid
Ciro Immobile Lazio
Dimitri Payet Marseille
Timo Werner RB Leipzig

Player of the season

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Votes were cast by coaches of the 48 teams in the group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA's member associations. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams. Jury members selected their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The shortlist of the top three players was announced on 9 August 2018.[44] The award winner was announced during the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage draw in Monaco on 31 August 2018.

RankPlayerTeamPoints
Shortlist of top three
1 Antoine Griezmann[1] Atlético Madrid388
2 Dimitri Payet Marseille103
3 Diego Godín Atlético Madrid84
Players ranked 4–10
4 Jan Oblak Atlético Madrid43
5 Ciro Immobile Lazio26
6 Aritz Aduriz Athletic Bilbao16
Koke Atlético Madrid
8 Luiz Gustavo Marseille10
Florian Thauvin Marseille
10 Sergej Milinković-Savić Lazio8

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Antoine Griezmann named Europa League Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Lyon to host 2018 UEFA Europa League final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Evolution of UEFA club competitions from 2018". UEFA.com. 26 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Who is in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage?". UEFA.com. 26 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Europa League win earns Manchester United a Champions League spot". UEFA.com. 24 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Football Federation of Kosovo joins UEFA". UEFA. 3 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "Regulations of the UEFA Europa League 2017/18 Season" (PDF). UEFA.com. 4 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Timeline for UEFA Presidential elections decided". UEFA. 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Gibraltar gains an additional spot in the Europa League". Gibraltar Football Association. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  10. ^ a b c "Preliminary Access List 2017/18" (PDF). Bert Kassies. RFEF.
  11. ^ "Country coefficients 2015/16". UEFA.com.
  12. ^ "UEFA Country Ranking 2016". Bert Kassies. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  13. ^ "The 2017/18 Champions League and Europa League access list". UEFA.com. 26 May 2017.
  14. ^ "UEFA Access List 2015/18 with explanations" (PDF). Bert Kassies.
  15. ^ "Access list 2017/2018". Bert Kassies. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  16. ^ "The 2017/18 Europa League group stage as it stands". UEFA.com. 30 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Qualification for European Cup Football 2017/2018". Bert Kassies. Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  18. ^ "Who is in this season's UEFA Europa League?". UEFA.com. 13 July 2017.
  19. ^ "УЕФА отхвърли молбата на БФС за участие на ЦСКА-София в евротурнирите". Bulgarian Football Union. 29 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  20. ^ "Решение СТК 01.06.2017 г". Bulgarian Football Union. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  21. ^ "Становище на СТК". Bulgarian Football Union. 2 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  22. ^ "CAS rejects request for interim measures in the arbitration PFC CSKA Sofia / UEFA" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 16 June 2017.
  23. ^ "Огромна изненада: УЕФА изкара ЦСКА-София и вкара Дунав в Европа". sportal.bg. 19 June 2017.
  24. ^ "FFK: Besa nuk do të përfitojë nga UEFA, paratë e Kupës së Kosovës i shkojnë Prishtinës". almakos.com. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  25. ^ "Birkirkara FC denied UEFA license, Valletta FC to play Europa League". Malta Today. 9 May 2017.
  26. ^ "Federaţia Română de Fotbal a decis cine poate juca la toamnă în cupele europene". adevarul.ro. 19 April 2017.
  27. ^ "UEFA European Football Calendar 2017/2018". Bert Kassies. Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  28. ^ "2017/18 Europa League match and draw calendar". UEFA.com. 11 January 2017.
  29. ^ a b "Club coefficients 2016/17". UEFA.com.
  30. ^ a b "UEFA Team Ranking 2017". Bert Kassies.
  31. ^ a b "Seeding in the Europa League 2017/2018". Bert Kassies. Archived from the original on 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
  32. ^ a b "First and second qualifying rounds draw". UEFA.
  33. ^ "Third qualifying round draw". UEFA.
  34. ^ "Play-off round draw". UEFA.
  35. ^ "Group stage draw". UEFA.com.
  36. ^ "Europa League group stage number crunching". UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 25 August 2017.
  37. ^ "Round of 32 draw". UEFA.com.
  38. ^ "Round of 16 draw". UEFA.com.
  39. ^ "Quarter-final draw". UEFA.com.
  40. ^ a b "Semi-final and final draws". UEFA.com.
  41. ^ "Full Time Summary Final – Marseille v Atlético Madrid" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  42. ^ a b "Statistics — Tournament phase — Players". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  43. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2017/18 Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 May 2018.
  44. ^ "Europa League Player of the Season Contenders". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
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