Arsenal's Europa League draw verdict: Lowdown on BATE Borisov, FC Cologne and Red Star Belgrade as Arsene Wenger's men face long away trips to Belarus and Serbia

• e-mail

Arsenal have been handed a couple of tough-looking away days in their maiden Europa League campaign following Friday's group stage draw in Monaco. 

Arsene Wenger's men will face Belarusian champions BATE Borisov, Bundesliga outfit FC Cologne and Red Star Belgrade of Serbia in Group H - they are set to travel around 6,100 miles in total for the three away trips.

Here Sportsmail give you the lowdown on each of Arsenal's opponents as they prepare for their first campaign in Europe's secondary competition since 2000, when they lost in the UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray.

Arsene Wenger is gearing up for his debut campaign in the Europa League after finishing fifth

BATE Borisov

Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov are flat-track bullies in their homeland having claimed 11 consecutive league titles in a complete dominance of their domestic competition.

BATE qualified for the Europa League group stages with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Ukrainian outfit Oleksandriya, after they were beaten by Sparta Prague in the Champions League third qualifying round. 

They are regulars in the Champions League and have made it to the group stages of Europe's elite competition seven times over the past 10 seasons. 

BATE claimed some impressive results in those campaigns - with a 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in 2012 and two draws against Juventus in 2008. 

Former Arsenal man Alexander Hleb played for them last year but he has since moved on. BATE's current squad is dominated by homegrown talent.

Key man: Mikhail Gordeichuk - an attacking midfielder with eight goals from 19 league matches so far this season. A star for the Belarus national team. 

Danger rating: 5/10 

BATE Borisov have faced the likes of Barcelona before in the Champions League group stages

FC Cologne 

FC Cologne were one of the surprise packages in Germany last season as they finished fifth in the Bundesliga, overshadowed somewhat by Hoffenheim in fourth. 

They have lost star striker Anthony Modeste, who left for the Chinese Super League this summer, but still boast a solid squad capable of springing an upset led by their impressive manager Peter Stoger.  

Cologne were runners up UEFA Cup in 1986 - when they were thrashed 5-1 by Real Madrid in the final. Ex-Gunner Lukas Podolski is one notable former Cologne player.

Key man: Jonas Hector - a German international full back who attracted interest from Liverpool last summer. The 27-year-old is most comfortable on the left side of Cologne's defence and bombs forward effectively to support attacks. 

Danger rating: 7

Jonas Hector's displays at left back for FC Cologne have attracted interest from Liverpool

Red Star Belgrade 

A historically successful team who boast genuine pedigree in European football, Red Star Belgrade were one of the strongest teams Arsenal could have drawn as the fourth seed. 

Red Star won the European Cup in 1991 by beating Marseille on penalties and have made the semi-finals of Europe's elite competition three times in total.

They are currently competing in the eight-team play-off competition to determine the winner of the Serbian league, they ended the regular season top of the table ahead of rivals Partizan. 

Arsenal can anticipate a hostile reception at Red Star's 55,000-capacity Rajko Mitic stadium - with supporters well known for creating an intimidating atmosphere

Key man: Nenad Milijas - the former Wolves man has re-established himself as a key player in his third spell at Red Star since returning home from the Chinese Super League. The 34-year-old captains the side and is the heartbeat of Red Star's midfield. 

Danger rating: 4 

Red Star Belgrade supporters are likely to create a fiery atmosphere at the Rajko Mitic stadium