Job Ochieng Set for Testing Europa League Campaign as His Spanish Club Lands Tough Draw

Harambee Stars forward Job Ochieng is set for a tough campaign in Europe after his club Real Sociedad landed a tricky UEFA Europa League draw.

The Spanish club was handed a difficult assignment in the 2026-27 Europa League league phase, with European heavyweights Juventus, Lyon, and Marseille among their opponents.

The new league phase format, which runs from September to late January, will see the top eight teams advance directly to the knockout stages, bypassing a play-off round. The tournament will culminate with the final in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 26.

As Copa del Rey champions, Real Sociedad were placed in pot 1 for the draw. Their campaign will include tough away fixtures against Italian giants Juventus and last season's Conference League winners, Crystal Palace.

The Basque side will welcome Lyon and Bournemouth to their home ground, Anoeta. Their schedule is rounded out by matches against Torreense, Lillestrom, Viktoria Plzen and Union Saint-Gilloise, a club that competed in the Champions League last season.

Commenting on the draw, Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo expressed his excitement, but remains confident that his team can go all the way.

“Very interesting draw for us. Great teams for us but we want to compete in Europe because we want to play against great teams and we look forward to every match,” Matarazzo said on Friday.

“I have very high expectations of myself and we want the most from every competition and I am coaching a club now that has great experience in Europe and a chance to do great things.

“We have a team that has a lot of expectations and great quality. We want to do great things this season and Europa League is one of them,” the American tactician further stated.

For Ochieng, this will be his first taste of European football having now been included into the senior team this season and he will be looking to make a huge impact.