Turkish clubs launch Europa League bids

Trabzonspor and Fenerbahçe launch their Europa League group stage campaigns on Sept. 8, hoping to go the distance after missing out on the Champions League.

Last season's Süper Lig champion Trabzonspor, which was knocked out in the Champions League playoffs by Copenhagen, travels to Hungary to play Ferencvaros in a Group H match. Red Star Belgrade hosts Monaco in the group's other game.

Fenerbahçe, meanwhile, starts its Group B campaign at home against Dynamo Kiev, which is set to play home matches in the Polish city of Krakow as war continues to rage in its home country.

The group also includes AEK Larnaca of Greek Cyprus and French club Rennes.

Two other Turkish clubs will compete in the Conference League, with Başakşehir visiting Hearts of Scotland and Sivasspor hosting Czech club Slavia Prague in their first group games of the season.

Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Arsenal begin as the leading contenders for this season's Europa League, although Jose Mourinho's Roma is eyeing back-to-back continental titles after claiming the inaugural Europa Conference League earlier this year.

It is a long road to this season's final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 31, 2023, with clubs facing a packed schedule in order to complete the group stage before the World Cup in Qatar starts on Nov. 20.

That means the likes of United and Arsenal will be relying on their squad depth to get them through some of their less glamorous Thursday night fixtures while they try to maintain challenges at the top of the Premier League.

Returning to the Champions League has to be the priority for both, although winning Europe's second-tier trophy is one way of getting there.

Eintracht Frankfurt was the...