Thursday 20 December 2012 15:07, UK
Chelsea and Liverpool will be hoping to avoid Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan when the draw for the last 32 of the Europa League is made in Switzerland on Thursday.
Atletico, Inter and Leverkusen all sit second in their domestic leagues, while Ajax are in the thick of their own title battle and showed quality as they finished third in a Champions League group also containing the champions of Spain, Germany and England. For Tottenham and Newcastle, long trips appear distinctly possible, with seven of the 13 teams they are eligible to face being from Eastern Europe or Turkey. All unseeded teams will play at home in the first leg of the last 32. There will be no seeds for the last 16, with the ties being decided on a "Winner Match 3 v Winner Match 11" basis. Last-32 ties will take place on February 14 and 21, with last-16 matches following on March 7 and 14.