English Premier League giants Liverpool will take on LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse in the Europa League group stage while debutants Brighton & Hove Albion will face continental powerhouses Ajax and Olympique de Marseille.

Liverpool, who have lifted the trophy on three occasions, will be hot favourites to qualify top from Group E.

Brighton face a tough task in their bid to progress past the group stage on their debut in European competition.

Along with former champions Ajax and three-time finalists Marseille, Brighton's third opponents in a strong Group B are Greek champions AEK Athens.

Europa Conference League champions West Ham United were drawn with Olympiacos, Freiburg and TSC Backa Topola in Group A.

Last season's runners-up AS Roma meet Slavia Prague, Sheriff Tiraspol and Servette in Group G, while 1988 winners Bayer Leverkusen of Germany face Qarabag, Molde FK and BK Hacken in Group H.

The group stage begins from September 21.

The winners of each group advance directly to the round of 16 that will take place from February.

Group runners-up will progress to the knockout stage play-off round, in which they will meet one of eight teams that have finished third in their groups in the top-tier Champions League.

Third-placed teams in the Europa League groups will drop to the third-tier Europa Conference League where they will face the group runners-up from that competition.

The Europa League final will take place at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on May 22 next year.

EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW

GROUP A

West Ham United

Olympiacos

Freiburg

TSC Backa Topola

GROUP B

Ajax Amsterdam

Olympique de Marseille

Brighton & Hove Albion

AEK Athens

GROUP C

Rangers

Real Betis

Sparta Prague

Aris Limassol

GROUP D

Atalanta

Sporting

Sturm Graz

Rakow Czestochowa

GROUP E

Liverpool

LASK

Union Saint-Gilloise

Toulouse

GROUP F

Villarreal

Stade Rennais

Maccabi Haifa

Panathinaikos

GROUP G

AS Roma

Slavia Prague

Sheriff Tiraspol

Servette

GROUP H

Bayer Leverkusen

Qarabag

Molde FK

BK Hacken