Sunderland will host Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar on the opening night of the league phase of this season’s Europa League campaign.

Sunderland have been told how they should balance the demands of competing in the Europa League for the first time in their history and battling on a weekly basis in the Premier League.

After enjoying an overwhelmingly successful return to the top flight of English football last season by securing a seventh place finish, the Black Cats will compete in UEFA’s secondary club competition for the first time in their history and their league phase campaign gets underway on Wednesday night when AZ Alkmaar visit the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. | Getty Images.

placeholder image — Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. | Getty Images.

That will kick-start an exciting run of fixtures in the competition with Regis Le Bris’ men also set to face Torreense, Lech Poznan, Dinamo Zagreb, Jagiellona, Anderlecht, Levski Sofia and Serie A giants AC Milan in the league phase of the competition - and there are high hopes Sunderland can progress into the knockout stages in the new year.

However, there is also a need to remain focused in the Premier League as the Black Cats looks to solidify their top flight status - and former Sunderland forward Fraizer Campbell believes Le Bris and his players must view their European exploits as ‘a bonus’ and staying in the Premier League should be ‘the main focus’.

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He told BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest Premier League odds: “Sunderland should prioritise the Premier League over the Europa League. I think that would be the sensible thing to do for Sunderland, prioritising the Premier League. Make sure you're getting points on the board on a weekly basis and then treat Europe as a bonus, because staying in the Premier League has got to be the main focus.

“If they play like they did against Brentford, and Brentford are a good team, they should be all right. I saw a lot of potential there, especially in the centre-back pairing. I like Brian Brobbey, he's an old-school centre-forward who backs into people and brings his wingers into play. So yeah, I think they definitely have to prioritise the Premier League, but they should enjoy Europe as well.”

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