Hoffenheim draw Lyon, Crystal Palace and Beşiktaş in Europa League league phase

Hoffenheim have been handed a competitive Europa League league-phase draw featuring home meetings with Lyon and Beşiktaş and potentially decisive away trips to Olympiacos, Anderlecht and Crystal Palace.

Christian Ilzer’s side entered Friday’s draw in Pot 4 after finishing fifth in the Bundesliga last season, securing a return to European competition following a campaign in which they remained in contention for Champions League qualification until the final weekend.

Hoffenheim will host Lyon, Ferencváros, Sturm Graz and Beşiktaş at the PreZero Arena.

Their four away fixtures will take them to Olympiacos, Anderlecht, Crystal Palace and OFI Crete.

Lyon’s visit immediately stands out as the strongest individual fixture in Sinsheim.

The French side were seeded in Pot 1 and bring greater recent European pedigree, giving Hoffenheim an early benchmark for how effectively they can transfer last season’s domestic progress onto the continental stage.

Beşiktaş should provide another major home occasion. The Turkish club add experience and profile to a schedule that otherwise gives Hoffenheim realistic opportunities to collect points in front of their own supporters.

Ferencváros and Sturm Graz complete a home programme that looks competitive without being overwhelming.

The greater difficulty may come away from home.

Olympiacos traditionally provide one of the more demanding atmospheres in European competition, while Anderlecht offer another experienced continental opponent in Brussels. Crystal Palace present a different challenge entirely, combining Premier League intensity with the confidence of a side entering the competition as reigning Conference League champions.

OFI Crete complete the away schedule and, on paper, represent Hoffenheim’s most manageable trip, although the German side will still have to navigate a very different environment from their Bundesliga routine.

The draw therefore leaves Hoffenheim with a route that rewards consistency rather than requiring a series of major upsets.

That matters for a team whose domestic trajectory changed dramatically last season. Hoffenheim finished fifth with 61 points after spending much of the campaign in the Champions League race, only for a heavy final-day defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach to close that route.

Europa League football now gives Ilzer’s side another platform to test that progress.

Under the 36-team league format, the top eight clubs advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th must enter an additional two-legged knockout play-off.

For Hoffenheim, the home schedule provides enough opportunity to make direct qualification a legitimate target, but their eventual ceiling is likely to be shaped by what they can take from Piraeus, Brussels and London.

The league phase begins on September 16 and 17 and concludes on January 28, with UEFA still to confirm the exact order and kick-off times of Hoffenheim’s eight fixtures.