Brighton land Europa League group of death in horror European debut.. but Liverpool and West Ham secure easier draw

The US Sun
 
Brighton land Europa League group of death in horror European debut.. but Liverpool and West Ham secure easier draw

BRIGHTON will face Ajax and Marseille in a blockbuster Europa League group of death.

The Seagulls are making their debut in European football after finishing sixth in the Premier League under Roberto De Zerbi last term.

They will be dreaming of going all the way to the final at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on May 22.

But before that, Brighton have been rewarded with glamour ties against giants Ajax and Marseille in Group B.

The Dutch and French clubs boast rich histories and have been crowned European Cup or Champions League winners five times between them.

Ajax booked their place in the Europa League on Thursday night, getting past Ludogorets 4-2 on aggregate, while Marseille lost to Panathinaikos in the third qualifying round for the Champions League.

Brighton's group is completed by AEK Athens and will get underway on September 21.

Elsewhere, Liverpool should have a routine passage into the Europa League knockout stages as they take on Austrian outfit LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium and French side Toulouse.

And that will see new Reds midfielder Alexis Mac Allister face his brother Kevin, with the defender joining Union SG this year.

West Ham, meanwhile, were the first team out of the pot and face Olympiacos, Freiburg and Serbian minnows TSC Backa Topola.

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David Moyes' men ensured European football at the London Stadium once again by winning the Europa Conference League in Prague.

Rangers take on Real Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol while last year's beaten finalists Roma are in Group G with Slavia Prague.

The teams learnt their fate for the 2023-24 campaign this afternoon as Alex Scott and Matt Smith presented the ceremony in Monaco.