UEFA Europa League group stage to kick off

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ISTANBUL . KAZINFORM The UEFA Europa League group stage will kick off with 24 matches on Thursday.

Three Turkish clubs, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Akhisarspor will also play their first matches in the Europa League 2018-19 group stage.

In an away match, Fenerbahce will play against Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb in Group D while Besiktas will welcome first-timer Norwegian club Sarpsborg, playing their first group stage fixture in Group I. Akhisar will face Russia's Krasnodar in Group J at home, Anadolu Agency reports.

AC Milan, Arsenal, Sevilla and Chelsea are the top noticeable clubs in the group stage.

The first two teams from 12 groups will reach the last 32 round of the Europa League.

The final will be held in the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan on May 29.

The most successful club in the Europa League is Spain's Sevilla with five championships.

Turkey's Galatasaray, the Lions, is the only Turkish club that won the cup in 1999-2000.


The matches kick off at 1755 GMT:

Group G: Rapid Wien v Spartak Moskva, Villarreal v Rangers

Group H: Lazio v Apollon, Marseille v Frankfurt

Group I: Genk v Malmo, Besiktas v Sarpsborg

Group J: Akhisar v Krasnodar, Sevilla v Standard Liège

Group K: Dynamo Kyiv v Astana, Rennes v Jablonec

Group L: Vidi v BATE, PAOK v Chelsea


The matches kick off at 2000 GMT:

Group A: Ludogorets v Leverkusen, AEK Larnaca v Zurich

Group B: Celtic v Rosenborg, Leipzig v Salzburg

Group C: Slavia Praha v Bordeaux, Kobenhavn v Zenit

Group D: Dinamo Zagreb v Fenerbahce, Spartak Trnava v Anderlecht

Group E: Arsenal v Vorskla, Sporting CP v Qarabag

Group F: Olympiacos v Betis, Dudelange v AC Milan

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