Galatasaray to tackle Benfica in Europa League, Fenerbahçe to play Zenit

NYON

Galatasaray was drawn against three-time Europa League runner-up Benfica of Portugal in the Round of 32 on Dec. 17, while Fenerbahçe will play Russian club Zenit.

Both Turkish league champion Galatasaray, which finished third in its Champions League group to move to the European club football’s second-tier competition, and Fenerbahçe, which finished its Europa League group in second place to advance, will play the first legs at hoem on Feb. 12 or Feb. 14.

Also in the Round of 32 of the Europa League, former champion Chelsea will face Malmö, which beat Beşiktaş 1-0 on Dec. 13 in Istanbul to knock it out of the competition, while Arsenal will lock horns again with BATE Borisov.

The two sides met in the Europa League last season, the Gunners hammering the Belarussian side 6-0 at the Emirates.

Five-time champion Sevilla, currently second in La Liga, faces a difficult tie against Lazio, beaten finalist in this competition in 1998, which is fifth in Serie A.

The 2004 champion Valencia will have to overcome Scottish champion Celtic while another Spanish side Villarreal, currently hovering just above the Liga relegation zone, faces an Iberian battle when it takes on Sporting.

Napoli, demoted to the Europa League after it was knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, faces Zurich.

Inter Milan, another team who failed to progress to the Champions League knockout stage, will play Rapid Wien.

In the Champişons KLeague, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, both five-time European champions, will meet in one of three England-Germany clashes in the Round of 16 following the draw made at UEFA headquarters on Dec. 17.

English champion Manchester City will take on Schalke 04 and Tottenham Hotspur will face Borussia Dortmund in the other clashes between the Premier League and the Bundesliga.

Holder Real Madrid will face four-time winners Ajax Amsterdam, which has reached the knockout stages for the first since 2005-06.

In other ties, Manchester United takes on Paris St Germain for the first time while Serie A champion Juventus faces Europa League winner Atletico Madrid, Barcelona meets Olympique Lyonnais and AS Roma tackles Porto.