GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) - Top seeds Lazio of Italy drew last year's semi-finalists Villarreal, English Premiership side Middlesbrough and the experienced Partizan Belgrade in the UEFA Cup draw.
Greek minnows Egaleo were the other team drawn in Group E but they were not expected to be in the running for the three qualifying slots into the last 32.
"We knew that at this level we would meet good teams. To tell you the truth, the draw is not easy, our opponents are very strong," said Lazio executive Giovanni Gardini.
"It's true that Lazio is the UEFA top seed, but it's not the same team as the last five years. But we're confident that we can play for qualifying from this group."
It is new territory for Europe's second-tier club competition as for the first time they employed a group system instead of the straight home-and away knock-out format.
Eight groups of five were drawn with the sides playing four games each, two at home and two away based on a complex UEFA grading system.
The top three teams from each group go through to join the eight teams placing third in the existing Champions League groups as the competition returns to direct knockout.
Group A also looked like being a tough battle with Feyenooord of the Netherlands, Schalke 04 of Germany, FC Basel of Switzerland, Hearts of Scotland and Ferencvaros of Hungary being pooled together.
Former winners Newcastle are in with Sporting Lisbon, French outfit Sochaux, Panionios of Greece and Dinamo Tblisi in Group D while Scottish giants Rangers, who needed a penalty-shoot out to defeat Maritimo in the last round, go up against Auxerre of France, AK Graz of Austria, Amica Wronki of Poland and Alkmaar of the Netherlands in Group E.
Newcastle director Russel Cushing was confident of advancing.
"We've won five and drawn one of the last six games in the Premier League and Europe, so we're on form at the moment," said Cushing.
"It's a team that I personally don't know too much about," he said about Sochaux, "but they've played in European competition before, we never expect any easy games."
Sochaux sporting director Bernard Genghini said they were relishing discovering English football.
"They're (Newcastle) are obviously the group favourites, it can't be denied. It's going to be a new experience for our young team and a tough group.
"We're going to discover English football in capacity-filled stadia. Newcastle is the club of Alan Shearer, and the French striker Laurent Robert. It's going to be a new atmosphere for us."
Each club will play two matches at home and two away on October 21, November 4, November 25, December 1-2 and December 15-16.
The winners, runners-up and third-placed clubs from each group will advance to the last 32 where they will then be joined by the eight third-placed clubs from the Champions League group stage.
The competition will then revert to a two-leg knock-out format.
The final will be played in Lisbon's Jose Alvalade Stadium on May 18, 2005.