Atletico Madrid, the reigning Europa League champions, will face Hapoel Tel Aviv, Viktoria Plzen and Portuguese newcomers Academica Coimbra in the group stages of this season's competition following yesterday's draw.
Enrique Cerezo, the Atletico president, said: "We have never played any of these teams. We could have had tougher rivals but we have these, and we will fight to be champions of the group."
Athletic Bilbao, last season's finalists, face Lyon, Sparta Prague and Hapoel Kiryat Shmona in another of the 12 groups that comprise the opening stage of Uefa's secondary European club competition.
Lyon, the French Ligue 1 side, are in the competition for the first time since it evolved from the Uefa Cup in 2009, having taken part in the Champions League for the past 13 seasons.
Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyon president said: "Of course we would rather be in the other competition but it would be a major honour to win this title and that is what we are going to try to do."
Tottenham Hotspur, who finished fourth in the English Premier League last season but were denied a Champions League spot when Chelsea won that competition spot, were grouped with Panathinaikos, Lazio and Maribor.
Five-times European champions Liverpool face Udinese, who were eliminated from the Champions League play-offs on Tuesday and Young Boys as well as the wealthy Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
The other Premier League side competing, Newcastle United, are in Group D with Bordeaux, Brugges and Maritimo.
This season's competition has five former European champions, including Marseille, who face opposition from Fenerbahce of Turkey, Borussia Moenchengladbach of Germany as well as AEL Limassol of Cyprus.
Elie Baup, the French side's coach, said: "Even if it's not the Champions League, this is a high level European competition."
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions