Three Romanian football teams begin bid to qualify for Europa League

Romanian team Astra Ploieşti will be in action in the qualifying rounds for the Europa League. UEFA announced the qualifying draws yesterday and Astra Ploieşti are to face Slovenian side NK Domžale over two-legs, on July 4 and July 11. Two more Romanian teams will compete in the second qualifying round; CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu and another team from Ploieşti, FC Petrolul Ploieşti If Astra Ploieşti come out on top, they will play Cypriot team AC Omonia on July 18 and 25. Another victory would then qualify Astra Ploieşti for the Europa League. Meanwhile, CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu will play either Bala Town, from Wales, or FC Levadia Tallinn, from Estonia. Finally, FC Petrolul Ploieşti can look forward to playing Vikingur or Inter Turku, depending on the outcome of the first round of qualifying matches. Seven teams have automatically entered the Europa League, based on UEFA's scoring system. A further 154 teams start in the qualifying rounds and later some of the bigger names in European football will join the competition after being knocked-out the Champions League. The Europa League final will be held at the Juventus Stadium, Turin, on May 14 next year. editor@romania-insider.com