West Ham could face Inverness in Europa League qualifiers as Southampton begin their campaign against Vitesse Arnhem 

• West Ham could face Inverness in Europa League third qualifying round
• Hammers hold a 1-0 lead over Birkirkara entering second leg of their tie
• SPFL team must overturn a one-goal deficit to Romanians Astra
• Southampton have been matched with Dutch team Vitesse Arnhem 

By Adam Shergold

Published: 06:22 EST, 17 July 2015 | Updated: 09:10 EST, 17 July 2015

West Ham United are on course for a 'Battle of Britain' meeting with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, while Southampton have been drawn with Vitesse Arnhem.

If the Hammers beat Maltese side Birkirkara and Inverness can reverse their 1-0 first leg deficit against Romanians Astra Giurgiu, they will meet in the next stage.

James Tomkins celebrates his late winner as West Ham defeated Birkirkara on Thursday night

Southampton coach Ronald Koeman will face his former club Vitesse Arnhem in the third qualifying round

West Ham gained a slender 1-0 advantage in Thursday night's first leg at Upton Park thanks to a late goal from James Tomkins.

The Saints, playing in European competition for the first time since 2003, have been paired with the Eredivisie side, briefly managed by their coach Ronald Koeman in 2000 and 2001. 

Vitesse have a number of Chelsea loanees in their ranks, including the talented youngsters Lewis Baker and Izzy Brown. 

Aberdeen, who take a commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg of their tie with Croatians Rijeka will face either Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan or Alashkert of Armenia. Kairat lead 3-0 from the first leg also.

If Linfield can overturn their 2-1 deficit against Spartak Trnava, they will play either Lokomotiva Zagreb or PAOK Salonika. Zagreb lead the Greek team 2-1 after the first leg. 

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Dejected Inverness players leave the field following their 1-0 home loss to Astra Giurgiu on Thursday

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Welsh side Newtown, who must overturn a two-goal deficit against Copenhagen, would face Czech team Jablonec.

Shamrock Rovers would play either Randers or Elfsborg if they overcome their two-goal deficit against Odd. 

University College Dublin trail Slovan Bratislava 1-0. The winners of that tie will meet Russian club Krasnodar.

The second legs of the second qualifying round take place next Thursday.

The first legs of the third qualifying round will be staged on July 30, with the return legs on August 6. 

The Europa League play-off round will start at the end of July, and will include the 15 losers out of the Champions League third qualifying round.

Premier League clubs Tottenham and Liverpool are both automatically qualified for the group stages. 

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