Europa League draw: Arsenal gets tricky group, Milan sitting pretty

The draw for the group stage of the Europa League was conducted Friday, with standout club Arsenal being pitted in an intriguing quartet that could prove awkward to maneuver.

The Gunners, not competing in the Champions League for the first time since the 1997-98 season, were drawn alongside Cologne, Red Star Belgrade, and BATE Borisov in Group H of the 48-team tournament.

Elsewhere, a revamped AC Milan is back in European competition after easily breezing through the tournament's qualifying stages, and the Rossoneri will be quite pleased with the results of Friday's festivities.

The Italian side, back in continental play after a three-year absence, was drawn alongside Austria Vienna, Rijeka, and AEK Athens in Group D.

Here's how the draw played out in full:

Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague

Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu

Group C: Braga, Ludogorets Razgrad, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir

Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna, NK Rijeka, AEK Athens

Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol

Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Sheriff, FC Zlin

Group G: Viktoria Plzen, FCSB, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano

Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade

Group I: FC Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor

Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersunds

Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem

Group L: Zenit St. Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar Skopje

The competition begins Sept. 14.