Dortmund and Schalke set to travel, Augsburg challenged

Both Borussia Dortmund and Schalke were handed manageable draws in the Europa League draw on Friday, but Augsburg were handed a slightly tougher task.

Thomas Tuchel's men are clear favorites in Group C alongside Greek side PAOK, Russia's FC Krasnodar and Azeri team Gabala, but the question lies on how much the travelling will affect the in-form squad. Long trips across Europe could make life a little harder for Dortmund and their travelling fans. PAOK finished third in the group stages last year, as did Krasnodar who faced Wolfsburg in last year's group stages. Minnows Gabala lost heavily in the first round of qualifying, but this year they marched through even beating Greece's Panathinaikos on away goals.

In Group K, Schalke will perhaps face a few sterner tests in the form of APOEL and Sparta Prague. Asteras Tripoli is the other team in the group, and is somewhat of a familiar face too. The Greek side was victorious against Mainz in qualifying for last season's competition and went on to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in the next round to make the group stages where they finished third. APOEL are Schalke's biggest opponents though. The Cypriot champions were in the Champions League in the 2014/15 season and qualified this season after failing to qualify for the Champions League at the playoff round stage. Sparta Prague comfortably came through qualifying, and recently recruited former Hamburg midfielder Petr Jiracek.

Small chance for Augsburg

Augsburg couldn't have had a much tougher draw in Group L. The trip to Bilbao will be a real challenge, although the Spanish side sneaked through to the group stages on away goals. AZ also flattered to deceive in qualifying but will be a good test, while the atmosphere alone against Partizan will be spectacular. The Serbian's narrowly missed out on Champions League football after losing to BATE on away goals.

Both Group A and Group J were full of big names, with Celtic, Ajax and Fenerbahce making up a group that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Champions League years ago. Former Leverkusen star Son Heung-min faces some tough opponents with his new side Tottenham in Group J, while Mario Gomez and Andreas Beck will believe they can get out of Group H with Besiktas. Liverpool's Emre Can, recently called up to the Germany squad for the first time, will also be happy with the way Group B turned out as he looks to guide Liverpool to glory.

Draw in full:

Group A: Ajax, Celtic, Fenerbahce, Molde

Group B: Rubin Kazan, Liverpool, Bordeaux, Sion

Group C: Borussia Dortmund, PAOK, Krasnodar, Gabala

Group D: Napoli, Club Brugge, Legia Warsaw, Midtjylland

Group E: Villarreal, Viktoria Plzen, Rapid Vienna, Dinamo Minsk

Group F: Marseille, Braga, Slovan Liberec, Groningen

Group G: Dnipro, Lazio, Saint-Etienne, Rosenborg

Group H: Sporting, Besiktas, Lokomotiv Moscow, Skënderbeu

Group I: Basel, Fiorentina, Lech Poznan, Belenenses

Group J: Tottenham, Anderlecht, Monaco, Qarabag

Group K: Schalke, APOEL, Sparta Prague, Asteras

Group L: Bilbao, Alkmaar, Augsburg, Partizan