October 15th at 18:45. Mark it down, because that’s when FC Salzburg hosts AC Milan for their very first home match of the Europa League campaign! The full fixture list just dropped, and man, there are some absolute barnburners on the calendar for our boys, running all the way into next year. If you thought the intensity was high before, just wait until you see this schedule.
Europa League Journey Kicks Off Road-Tripping to Bulgaria
Our journey through the new-look Europa League league phase starts mid-September. Get ready for a road trip to Bulgaria against Levski Sofia on Thursday, September 17th, at 18:45 CEST. You gotta love getting that away game out of the way first! Then, like we said, AC Milan rolls into town for that massive Thursday, October 15th clash. But don’t sleep on the rest of the calendar either. We’re heading to NK Celje on Thursday, October 22nd, at 21:00, then it’s off to RSC Anderlecht in Belgium on Thursday, November 5th, at 18:45.
Later in November, FC Ararat-Armenia comes to us on Thursday the 26th at 18:45, followed by AC Sparta Praha on Thursday, December 10th, at 21:00. The new year brings a challenging road game against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, January 21st, at 21:00. And then, we close out the eight-match league phase right at our own stadium against Crystal Palace on Thursday, January 28th, at 21:00. The team already checked out the opposition, and the word is there’s “something for everyone!” This is gonna be a wild ride.
New League Format, Massive Stakes
This isn’t your daddy’s Europa League group stage, folks. For the past few years, UEFA competitions have been using a league format, not traditional groups. What that means is every team gets drawn against eight different opponents, playing four home games and four away games. It’s an overall table for all 36 participating teams, which absolutely changes everything about how you approach each match. The top eight teams at the end of these eight rounds jump straight into the round of 16. That’s a huge advantage, avoiding those brutal play-off rounds! If you finish between 9th and 24th, you gotta scrap it out in a play-off, home and away, for the remaining knockout stage spots. And here’s a big one: no more getting bounced down to the UEFA Conference League if you don’t make it. It’s all Europa, all the way.
For the faithful, four-match packages for our UEFA Europa League home games will be available soon. And get this: if you’re a premium season-ticket holder, your seats are automatically booked at a sweet 20% discount. You know our stadium’s gonna be rocking for these matches!
The league phase runs all the way until that January 28th Crystal Palace home game. Our boys have a tough road ahead, but they’re ready to show what they’ve got in this new format. Get ready to shout until your voice is gone!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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