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On the day after qualifying for the Europa League group stage, the draw was held in Monte Carlo on Friday to determine who Inter would be facing and where they would be traveling to.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UELdraw?src=hash">#UELdraw</a> Groups E & F ... <a href="http://t.co/wfAEvHBI63">pic.twitter.com/wfAEvHBI63</a></p>— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuropaLeague/statuses/505347208116703232">August 29, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Group F:
- Inter
- Dnipro (Ukraine)
- St. Etienne (France)
- Qarabağ (Azerbaijan)
Here is Inter's Europa League group stage schedule, with the kick off times in Ukraine and Azerbaijan still to be confirmed by UEFA:
- Dnipro v Inter, September 18, 2014 19:00 CET / 1.00 pm ET / 10.00 am PT
- Inter v Qarabağ, October 2, 2014 21:05 CET / 3.05 pm ET / 12.05 pm PT
- Inter v St. Etienne, October 23, 2014 21:05 CET / 3.05 pm ET / 12.05 pm PT
- St. Etienne v Inter, November 6, 2014 19:00 CET / 1.00 pm ET / 10.00 am PT
- Inter v Dnipro, November 27, 2014 21:05 CET / 3.05 pm ET / 12.05 pm PT
- Qarabağ v Inter, December 11 2014 19:00 CET / 1.00 pm ET / 10.00 am PT
While the draw may not seem terribly difficult, the potential stumbling block and main factor to be wary of is the sheer amount of traveling that needs to be done.
The round trip flight to St. Etienne is nominal, with roughly 500 miles (804 km) to be logged, but the other two legs will be quite the trek. From Milan to Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine is roughly 1,240 miles (almost 2,000 km) one way, which amounts to nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) for the Europa League encounter. Even further is the distance to Baku, Azerbaijan, which clocks in at nearly 2,100 miles (3380 km) one way and 4,200 miles (6,760 km) round trip. After adding all the miles (or kilometers) up, that means the total distance to be traveled by the Nerazzurri equals an astonishing 7,200 miles (11,600 km).
Taking a glance at Inter's Serie A schedule after the long trips to Ukraine and Azerbaijan reveal that the Nerazzurri will be away to Palermo after Dnipro and Chievo after Qarabağ. Hopefully the latter fixture will be moved to the following Monday, in order for the team to recover from the length of travel. It does not look like the Palermo match would be pushed back, as there are midweek fixtures that week.
Aside from the travel factor, Inter should go through to the knockout rounds. What are your thoughts on the draw?