The final standings in the Europa League groups have now been confirmed, and attention will now start to switch to the new knockout format of the competition.
For the first time, there will be a Europa League playoff round in this season's competition, introducing teams who have dropped down from the Champions League.
Some of Europe's biggest names will therefore be involved, bringing an added sense of prestige to the continent's second-tier club competition.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up everything you need to know about the new stage and the draw.
© Reuters
What are the Europa League playoffs?
The Europa League playoffs will take place for the first time this season, replacing the old round of 32.
Sixteen teams will be involved in the new round - the eight runners-up from the Europa League group stages and the eight teams to have dropped down into the Europa League from the Champions League by virtue of finishing third in their groups.
The winners of the playoff ties will then progress into the last 16, where they will meet the Europa League group winners, while the losers of the playoff ties will crash out of Europe altogether.
When is the Europa League playoff draw?
The Europa League playoff draw will take place at 12pm GMT (1pm CET) on Monday, December 13.
It will take place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Which teams are involved in the Europa League playoff draw?
As mentioned, 16 teams will take part in the Europa League playoffs, with the runners-up from the group stage being seeded and the third-placed teams from the Champions League groups entering the competition as unseeded clubs.
© Reuters
SEEDED TEAMS
Real Betis
Braga
Dinamo Zagreb
Lazio
Napoli
Olympiacos
Rangers
Real Sociedad
UNSEEDED TEAMS
Atalanta BC
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
RB Leipzig
Porto
Sevilla
Sheriff Tiraspol
Zenit St Petersburg
© Reuters
Who can face whom in the Europa League playoffs?
All seeded teams must face an unseeded team in the Europa League playoffs, while clubs from the same country will not be able to be drawn against each other.
For example, both Real Betis and Real Sociedad are certain to avoid Barcelona and Sevilla in the draw, but could face any of the other unseeded teams.
How can I watch the Europa League playoff draw?
UEFA will stream the draw live on their website. You can find the stream here once it goes live on the day.
© Reuters
When will the Europa League playoffs take place?
The playoffs will take place over two legs; seeded teams will be away for their first legs and will play the second legs at home.
The first legs will be played on February 17, before the return legs take place a week later on February 24.
What is the away goals rule?
The away goals rule has been scrapped for all European competitions in 2021-22, which means that ties still level on aggregate after two legs will automatically go to extra time, and then penalties if required, regardless of the scoreline in each leg.
