Bournemouth Draw Milan in Europa League Tie, Heavyweight Tests for Other Clubs
Bournemouth’s first steps into Europe have brought them a fixture that once belonged firmly to fantasy. Milan, seven-time champions of the continent, are coming to Dean Court.
In 2006-07, when Milan last lifted the Champions League, Bournemouth were scrapping around in 19th place in League One. Now they will welcome one of European football’s aristocrats to a compact south-coast ground that has never seen anything like this. For a club whose rise has been built on incremental gains and stubborn belief, this is the night that proves how far they have travelled.
The glamour does not stop there. Their home league phase schedule also includes Viktoria Plzen, Sturm Graz and Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Hapoel’s visit will carry its own significance: it will be the first time an Israeli side has played in England since Aston Villa hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv last November.
Bournemouth’s away programme sends Marco Rose’s team into a very different set of cauldrons: Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Celta Vigo and Lillestrøm. No soft landings, no gentle introductions. Just a full European education, delivered at speed.
Sunderland head to San Siro
Sunderland, too, have been thrown straight back into the deep end on their European return. Their first season on the continent since 1973-74 includes a trip that supporters will already be circling in red: San Siro, to face Ruben Amorim’s Milan.
For a fanbase that has lived through relegations, rebirth and long Championship winters, the sight of red-and-white shirts under the lights in Milan will feel like a reward. The romance of the fixture is obvious, but the rest of their draw underlines the scale of the task.
Sunderland’s road schedule takes them to Anderlecht, Lech Poznan and Torreense, the Portuguese second-tier side who will relish their own underdog role. At the Stadium of Light, the club will welcome AZ, Dinamo Zagreb, Jagiellonia Bialystok and Levski Sofia. It is a mix of seasoned European operators and ambitious outsiders, and it offers no room for complacency.
Sage’s Palace reunion with Lyon
Crystal Palace, fresh from last season’s Conference League triumph, step up a level with a Europa League campaign laced with subplots. At the heart of it sits Pierre Sage, the Palace head coach, heading back to Lyon, the club he led between 2023 and 2025.
It is a reunion loaded with narrative. Sage returns not just to a former employer but to a club that shares ownership history with Palace. John Textor, once a part-owner at Selhurst Park, now presides over Lyon. The tie binds together boardrooms and dugouts as much as it does fanbases.
On the pitch, Palace’s home nights will be anything but routine. Real Sociedad, Lech Poznan, Sparta Prague and Hoffenheim are all bound for south London, each bringing its own tactical problem and travelling support. Selhurst Park, already one of the Premier League’s most raucous grounds, will be tested on the European stage again.
Away from home, Palace face journeys to Red Bull Salzburg, Jagiellonia and Besiktas. From the organised intensity of Salzburg to the noise of Istanbul, it is a route that will stretch both squad depth and temperament.
Celtic regroup after Lask blow
Celtic’s European story this season began with pain. Their Champions League playoff collapse against Lask still stings, and the Europa League now becomes both consolation and opportunity.
Their home draw is heavyweight. Marseille, Ferencvaros, Celta and Besiktas will all come to Glasgow. Each fixture carries history, needle or both, and each offers Celtic Park the chance to turn frustration into defiance.
The away schedule is equally unforgiving. Trips to Benfica, Omonia, Union Saint-Gilloise and Torreense await. For a squad still licking its wounds, this is a demanding route through some of Europe’s most awkward venues.
Brighton savour first taste of Conference League
On the south coast, Brighton have earned the right to enjoy something new. Having brushed aside Tromsø in their playoff, they now embark on a first Conference League campaign that looks as intriguing as it is manageable.
Monaco headline the visitors to Sussex, a fixture that feels tailor-made for Brighton’s style and ambition. Universitatea Craiova of Romania and Kauno Zalgiris of Lithuania complete the home slate, opponents who will test Brighton’s squad rotation and focus rather than their name recognition.
Away, the challenge sharpens. Panathinaikos in Athens, Getafe in Spain and Jablonec in the Czech Republic await. Jablonec arrive with their own momentum after knocking out Rangers on Thursday, a reminder that in this competition reputations can be overturned in a single tie.
Hearts brace for Salah’s Trabzonspor
Hearts, now seasoned Conference League campaigners in their third straight group-stage appearance, have been handed a marquee away day of their own. They will travel to face Mohamed Salah’s Trabzonspor, a tie that instantly stands out on the fixture list.
There is more mileage to come. Trips to Pafos and Thun also lie ahead, journeys that will stretch both the calendar and the squad. Tynecastle, meanwhile, can look forward to hosting Monaco, Borac Banja Luka and Nordsjælland. For a ground that thrives on tight margins and raw emotion, these nights feel made to measure.
Across the board, British clubs have been handed draws that mix glamour with jeopardy, nostalgia with new frontiers. The schedule and dates will land this weekend. Once they do, the countdown begins to a European season that promises noise, narrative and, for some, the kind of nights they thought they would never see.
