Football: UEFA Europa League groups unveiled

ANKARA

Three Turkish teams are set to play in the UEFA Europa League 2016-17 season's group stage, according to the draw done in Monaco Friday.

Istanbul giants Fenerbahce will play against England's Manchester United, the Netherlands' Feyenoord, and Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk in Group A.

For Robin Van Persie, Fenerbahce's world-famous striker, it will be a reunion on opposing sides with his former teams Manchester United and Feyenoord.

Van Persie won the UEFA Cup in 2002 with Feyenoord.

Feyenoord's 36-year-old team captain Dirk Kuyt spent three seasons with Fenerbahce before joining the Dutch side last summer.

Osmanlispor, which beat Denmark's FC Midtjylland to reach the group stage, drew in Group L with Spain's Villareal, Romania's Steaua Bucuresti, and Switzerland's FC Zurich.

Another Turkish club competing in the tournament, Konyaspor, drew in Group H along with Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk, Portugal's Braga, and Belgium's FC Gent.

The 2016-17 season will mark the 46th season of Europe's secondary football tournament.

The 2017 UEFA Europa League Final will be played at the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden, on May 24, 2017.

Here are the groups:

Group A: Manchester United (ENG), Fenerbahce (TUR), Feyenoord (NED), Zorya Luhansk (UKR)

Group B: Olympiacos (GRE), APOEL (Greek Cyprus), Young Boys (SUI), Astana (KAZ)

Group C: Anderlecht (BEL), St-Etienne (FRA), Mainz (GER), Qarabag (AZE)

Group D: Zenit (RUS), AZ Alkmaar (NED), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR), Dundalk (IRL)

Group E: Viktoria Plzen (CZE), Roma (ITA), Austria Wien (AUT), Astra Giurgiu (ROU)

Group F: Athletic Club (ESP), Genk (BEL), Rapid Wien (AUT), Sassuolo (ITA)

Group G: Ajax (NED), Standard Liege (BEL), Celta Vigo (ESP), Panathinaikos (GRE)

Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), Braga (POR), Gent (BEL), Konyaspor (TUR)

Group I: Schalke (GER), Salzburg (AUT), Krasnodar (RUS), Nice (FRA)

Group J: Fiorentina (ITA), PAOK (GRE), Slovan Liberec (CZE), Qabala (AZE)

Group K: Internazionale Milano (ITA), Sparta Praha (CZE), Southampton (ENG), Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)

Group L: Villarreal (ESP), Steaua Bucuresti (ROU), Zurich (SUI), Osmanlispor (TUR)