Benfica, who finished third in Portugal last season, has never won the Europa League. The Portuguese side will face NEC at home, while Juventus will be the away opponent. Juventus has a strong record in the competition, having won the Europa League's predecessor four times. NEC will also face NK Celje, a Slovenian club that finished 13th in the Conference League last season, and Ararat Armenia, a Armenian club that has been crowned champion of Armenia three times. Vangelis Pavlidis, a key player for Benfica, is known in the Eredivisie, having previously played for Willem II and AZ.