Barcelona meet Napoli in Europa League

Barcelona have been paired with Napoli in the stand out tie in the Europa League play-offs.

The Spanish giants find themselves trying to keep alive their hopes of European football after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Bayern Munich and Benfica.

It is the first time since 2003-04, when Barcelona were in the UEFA Cup, that the Catalan club will not be in the knockout stages of the Champions League, a competition they have won five times.

Napoli, winners of the competition in 1989, progressed from a Europa League group which included Leicester, who they beat 3-2 in the final group game in Naples.

The competition’s most successful club Sevilla were paired with Dinamo Zagreb.

Sevilla, who have won the title a record six times, will have added incentive to add to that tally with this season’s final taking place at their Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

Real Betis, also from Seville, will play 2008 winners Zenit St Petersburg.

Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol, in the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time, will play Portuguese side Braga.

EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW

Sevilla v Dinamo Zagreb

Atalanta v Olympiacos

RB Leipzig v Real Sociedad

Barcelona v Napoli

Zenit St Petersburg v Real Betis

Borussia Dortmund v Rangers

Sheriff Tiraspol v Braga

Porto v Lazio

The ties are scheduled to take place in February, with the first legs on the 17th and the return matches on the 24th.