There are some fascinating ties ahead in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals and semi-finals as the draws were made on Friday.
For Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, it’s a test against Atalanta, while for West Ham, they will take on Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool have been drawn against Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, with Benfica or Marseille a potential opponent in the semi-finals, while West Ham will take on Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in their last-eight tie.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds advanced to the quarter-finals with a comprehensive 11-2 aggregate victory over Sparta Prague, and will look to take that form into the next knockout stage.
West Ham meanwhile were equally impressive as they swatted aside Freiburg, with Mohammed Kudus scoring a goal of the season contender. They will face AC Milan or Roma if they come through their quarter-final.
The sub-plots are many ahead of the tournament’s latter stages, with the final – as a result of the way the draw fell – possibly set up for either an all-English affair between Liverpool and West Ham, or a meeting between Jurgen Klopp and Xabi Alonso, with the latter being regularly linked with the soon-to-be available Reds manager’s role, which Klopp will vacate in the summer.
It looked for a long time as though Leverkusen’s remarkable 37-game unbeaten run would come to an end against Qarabag on Thursday night, but Patrik Schick popped up with two stoppage-time goals to secure an extraordinary comeback and seal the Bundesliga leaders a last-eight spot.
Eyes were also drawn to the all-Italian quarter-final that will see AC Milan – for whom Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored again on Thursday to keep up his excellent form – take on a resurgent Roma under Daniele De Rossi.
The quarter-final first legs will be played on April 11, with the second legs on April 18. The semi-final dates are May 2 (first legs) and May 9 (second legs).
The final is set for Dublin on May 22.
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
AC Milan v Roma
Liverpool v Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham
Benfica v Marseille
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL DRAW
Benfica or Marseille v Liverpool or Atalanta
AC Milan or Roma v Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham
Earlier in the day at the draw ceremony in Nyon, Switzerland, the UEFA Champions League quarter-final and semi-final draws also took place.
Arsenal were drawn to face Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich, while Manchester City will take on Real Madrid in a blockbuster tie.
