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Europa League Draw 2016-17: Schedule of Dates for Play-off Round Fixtures
- Updated: August 5, 2016
West Ham United will face FC Astra Giurgiu in their UEFA Europa League play-off, it was confirmed on Friday.
The draw for the ties was conducted in Nyon, Switzerland, with the Hammers one of 44 teams seeking to progress into the group stages of the tournament.
Slaven Bilic’s men will play the first leg in Romania at the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici, with the return fixture to be staged at their new home, the Olympic Stadium.
Here is the draw in full and a closer look at some of the sides involved at this stage of the Europa League.
The ties will be played on August 18 and August 25. Team 1 will play at home in the first leg.
West Ham Set for European Adventure
After managing to make their way through their tie with NK Domzale, West Ham are now on the cusp of the competition’s group stage proper and will be big favourites to progress against Astra.
Bilic’s side enjoyed a memorable 2015-16 season. Inspired by their passionate coach and the brilliance of Dimitri Payet, they pushed up to a respectable seventh-place finish in the Premier League and were one of the most exciting teams to watch in the division.
Coupled with European football this term, the club will also have to acclimatise to new surroundings following their move from the Boleyn Ground.
As this clip from West Ham Central illustrates, there was quite an atmosphere for their first match at their new home:
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