The draw for the league phase of the Europa League took place in Monaco on Friday 30 August. Anderlecht will face Porto, Ferencváros, Ludogorets & Hoffenheim at home and Slavia Prague, Real Sociedad, Viktoria Pilsen & FK Riga away. CEO Sports Jesper Fredberg and Brian Riemer react to the draw:
CEO Sports Jesper Fredberg:
“First of all, we’re very happy to have qualified for the Europa League after 7 years of absence. It’s important for us as a club, for our strategy, for our players and for the fans. It’s an interesting draw, as we will be facing a high-ranked and lower-ranked team from every pot. We will go into this stage of the Europa League with a certain amount of respect, but also with hunger to achieve something and represent the badge of Anderlecht in Europe.”
“If we look at the specific opponents, it’s actually a very interesting mix. Playing Porto at home, a big club with a great tradition, is great, also for our fans. Sociedad away will be a good experience, they have performed exceptionally well over the past few seasons and have delivered many players at the Euros for Spain. And then there’s teams like Ludogorets that we already know. I have to say I’m happy we play them at home. So overall, we definitely have a role to play and we will go out with a mindset to achieve something in every game.”
Brian Riemer:
“Getting to these European stages, is what we play for throughout the whole season. Now we have the possibility to prove ourselves in the Europa League. It’s not a success story yet - as we’re still writing it - but it’s at least a successful chapter.”
“Regarding the draw, I’m quite happy with the outcome. It’s a group with good perspectives. There are definitely some very difficult opponents. I’ve played in Porto with FC Kopenhagen before. Now we’re playing them at home, which will be a great experience. Real Sociedad has performed so well in Spain, that will be a very good test to see where we are. Also Hoffenheim from the Bundesliga will be a tough game. Having said that, I can definitely see some possibilities. We’re not here to be tourists, we’re here to compete and achieve something. And that’s the mindset we’ll have when we play our first game, end of September.”
Ticket info
More info on tickets and UEL subscriptions will follow later. As always, subscribers will have priority for their own seats first. After that, Mauve+ Silver and Gold members can buy up to two seats (subejct to availability).
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