Rough draw for Danish teams in Europa League

Atalanta, Besiktas and Genk among the likely opponents

There wasn’t much good news for Danish teams coming out of UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland moments ago as the draw for the Europa League playoff qualification round took place.

Only FC Midtjylland got a good draw for the playoff round, as they avoided the big teams and will face Malmö or Vidi FC from Hungary should they get past TNS in the third round.

But the outcome was far worse for the other Danish teams.

READ MORE: Lions and Tigers show teeth in Europa League

Formidable opposition
Should FC Copenhagen beat CSKA Sofia in the third round, they will most likely need to overcome Serie A side Atalanta to progress to the group stage. Atalanta need to beat Hapoel Haifa of Israel first, however.

FC Nordsjælland take on Partizan Belgrade in the third round and it could get even worse if they make it past the Serbs, with Turkish giants Besiktas lurking as a potential opponent. LASK from Austria face the Turks first.

Brøndby will perhaps fancy their chances a little bit more, drawing the winners of Belgian outfit Genk and Polish side Lech Poznan. The Danish side must first oust Serbian side Spartak Subotica in the third round.

The two-leg playoff matches will be played on August 23 and 30.