The Europa League draw pits Celtic and Haitham Hassan against Marseille, Benfica and Celta Vigo

UEFA lit the fuse again on Friday. Fresh from a frenetic night of Champions League draws, European football's governing body staged the Europa League league phase draw, and the mood was electric once more.

This season's edition won't be short of tricky encounters. The draw pitted the continent's giants against each other in early clashes that will shape the title race from the very first round.

The Egyptian star is present

As ever, there's an Egyptian imprint on the European stage. All eyes turn to the young Egyptian star Haitham Hassan, who joined Scotland's Celtic during the current summer window and now prepares for his first continental experience in the shirt of the Scottish giant.

Celtic drew a difficult and exciting path. They face eight matches against a variety of footballing schools: Olympique Marseille, Benfica, Ferencvaros, Union Saint-Gilloise, Celta Vigo, Omonia, Besiktas and Utrecht.

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It's a packed schedule. The European pedigree of giants such as Marseille, Benfica and Besiktas mixes with the ambition of teams desperate to spring a surprise. That leaves Haitham Hassan and his teammates facing a genuine challenge to prove they can compete and snatch a ticket to the knockout rounds.

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