Borussia Dortmund to face Atalanta and RB Leipzig meet Napoli in UEFA Europa League last 32
Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have been drawn against Atalanta in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League, while European debutants RB Leipzig will face another Italian team, Serie A high-flyers Napoli.
Third-place finishes for both clubs in their respective UEFA Champions League groups means Dortmund and Leipzig are in Europa League action come the new year.
Finishing the group stage with one of the four best points totals among third-place teams, RB were seeded for this draw, while Borussia were unseeded.
The two Bundesliga clubs could not face each other at this stage of the competition, but all other 15 teams within the respective pots were possible opponents.
Dortmund reaction
The first legs will see Dortmund host Atalanta and Leipzig travel to Naples on 15 February, while the return fixtures take place on 22 February.
Sporting director Michael Zorc: “We faced Atalanta in pre-season. They’re a defensively strong team who finished a surprising fourth in Italy last season. It’s a really attractive draw.”
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Leipzig reaction
Captain Willi Orban: “Napoli are definitely an interesting draw and a great match-up. We’ll absolutely take it on and are looking forward to the knock-out round.”
Diego Demme: “They’ll be two great games. Napoli are a top team and it’ll be a great challenge for us, but we’re looking forward to it. Of course we want to try and give our best in these games and progress to the next round.”
CEO Oliver Mintzlaff: “The draw feels like a Champions League game. We’ve achieved our aim to be be in Europe come the new year, and we go into this game with confidence as we start the second stage of our European expedition.”
Last 32 draw in full
Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta
Napoli vs. RB Leipzig
Nice vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
Copenhagen vs. Atletico Madrid
Spartak Moscow vs. Athletic Bilbao
AEK Athens vs. Dynamo Kyiv
Celtic vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
Red Star Belgrade vs. CSKA Moscow
Lyon vs. Villarreal
Real Sociedad vs. Red Bull Salzburg
Partizan Belgrade vs. Viktoria Plzen
Steaua Bucharest vs. Lazio
Ludogorets vs. AC Milan
Astana vs. Sportling Lisbon
Östersunds vs. Arsenal
Marseille vs. Braga
Click here to discover Bayern Munich's Champions League opponents