Europa League draw LIVE: Liverpool and West Ham learn quarter-final fate
Liverpool have drawn Italian side Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals while West Ham face Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen
Liverpool will face Italian opposition in the Europa League quarter-finals in the form of Atalanta, while fellow Premier League side West Ham will take on one of the toughest teams remaining in the competition – Bayer Leverkusen – after the draw took place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon this afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are the slight favourites to win the tournament after thrashing Sparta Prague 11-2 in the last 16 and will play Atalanta in the quarter-finals with the first leg at Anfield, while West Ham overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to down Freiburg this week but now face another German side, with the mammoth task of Xabi Alonso’s all-conquering Leverkusen in front of them.
The first quarter-final drawn out was a tasty all-Italian clash between AC Milan and Roma, where the sides will renew a rivalry that has seen them both climb into Serie A’s top five this season, while Benfica of Portugal and French side Marseille will also do battle for a spot in the semi-finals.
If Liverpool were to beat Atalanta, they would take on the winner of Benfica-Marseille for a place in the final, while the Hammers’ reward for upsetting the odds against a Leverkusen side that haven’t lost a single game this season would be a semi-final against AC Milan or Roma.
Follow live updates from the Europa League draw below.
Champions League draw in full
Quarter-finals (9/10 April and 16/17 April)
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
PSG vs Barcelona
Semi-finals (30 April/1 May and 7/8 May)
Arsenal/Bayern vs Real Madrid/Manchester City
Atletico/Dortmund vs PSG/Barcelona
The final:
1 June, Wembley Stadium, London
Europa League draw in full
Quarter-finals (11/18 April)
AC Milan v Roma
Liverpool v Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham
Benfica v Marseille
Semi-finals (2/9 May)
Benfica or Marseille v Liverpool or Atalanta
Milan or Roma v Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham United
The final:
22 May, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Europa Conference League draw in full
Quarter-finals (11/18 April)
Club Brugge vs PAOK
Olympiacos vs Fenerbahce
Aston Villa vs Lille
Viktoria Plzen vs Fiorentina
Semi-finals (2/9 May)
Aston Villa/Lille vs Olympiacos/Fenerbahce
Viktoria Plzen/Fiorentina vs Club Brugge/PAOK
Final:
29 May, OPAP Arena, Athens
How many Champions League places will the Premier League have next season?
The Premier League’s hopes of gaining an extra Champions League spot in next season’s revamped competition were given a major boost on Thursday following West Ham United’s crucial win over Freiburg.
The Champions League is being expanded to a 36-team tournament from 2024/25 and two of the extra four places will be awarded to countries whose teams perform best in this season’s European competitions.
As confirmed by Uefa on its website, England currently sits third in the race, behind Italy and Germany, which would mean Serie A and the Bundesliga receive a fifth Champions League place next season.
But the margin between Germany and England shrunk after Thursday’s Europa League results, and England – who have five teams left in European competition this season compared to Germany’s three – are almost certain to overtake Germany and steal that extra Champions League spot.
Moyes thrilled by West Ham’s progress to quarter-finals
David Moyes hailed a “brilliant achievement” after West Ham reached another European quarter-final by flattening Freiburg 5-0.
Hammers boss Moyes uncharacteristically named an attacking line-up in a bid to repair the damage of the 1-0 Europa League first-leg defeat in Germany last week.
He was rewarded with a sparkling display as goals from Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell and two from Mohammed Kudus – including a sensational solo effort – secured a 5-1 aggregate win and a place in a the last eight of a European competition for a third successive season.
Could this be Arsenal’s year?
Mikel Arteta tried to put on a managerial demeanour as he congratulated his players on going the distance and beating Porto, but ultimately, he couldn’t keep the joyous smile off his face. It was all too visible as he came out of the dressing room and then sat down in front of the media.
Arteta was thrilled.
Those who speak of the exacting standards of winners might say that’s a bit much for a mere Champions League last-16 penalty shootout victory over a side Arsenal should be beating fairly easily, in the way this side have generally had their celebrations policed.
There was obviously much more to it than that. It wasn’t even that the club had reached the quarter-finals, either. It was that the team had made another crucial step, with this one admittedly a giant leap.
Analysis by Miguel Delaney:
Arsenal’s Champions League progress shows a crucial step is behind them
The Gunners beat Porto on penalties to reach the quarter-finals at the first attempt under Mikel Arteta
News: Madrid complain to Uefa over ‘racist insults’ directed at Vincius Jr
Real Madrid have filed a complaint with the Spanish legal authorities after “racist and hateful insults” appeared to be directed at their striker Vinicius Junior by Atletico Madrid and Barcelona fans this week.
Footage on social media appeared to show Atletico fans chanting about Vinicius in a discriminatory way prior to their side’s Champions League last 16 match against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
Real have now taken steps to report it to the Spanish authorities and allege there were similar chants from Barca fans before their match against Napoli on Tuesday.
“Real Madrid has filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office against hate crimes and discrimination, for the racist and hateful insults directed towards our player Vinicius Junior in the vicinity of the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic and the Metropolitan Stadium of Madrid,” a statement from Los Blancos read.
“Real Madrid is asking the Public Prosecutor’s Office to ask the security forces for the recordings in both locations in order to identify the perpetrators of these racist and hateful insults.
“Real Madrid condemns these violent attacks of racism, discrimination and hatred that have been taking place, unfortunately repeatedly, against our player Vinicius Junior.
“Our club will continue to work in defence of the values of football and sport, and will remain firm in its fight for zero tolerance in the face of such disgusting episodes as those that continue to occur in recent times.”
Liverpool’s route to the Europa League final
Liverpool will face Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals after the draw on Friday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, in his final season at Anfield, thrashed Sparta Prague 11-2 on aggregate in the last-16, following a 6-1 second-leg victory at Anfield on Thursday.
The Reds were drawn against Serie A side Atalanta on Friday in the last eight and will host the first-leg at Anfield.
But who will the Reds face in the semi-finals should they beat Atalanta?
Liverpool’s route to Europa League Final after quarter-final draw
Jurgen Klopp’s side now know their potential journey to the Europa League final in Dublin on 22 May
Why Bayern fans are banned from attending Arsenal quarter-final
Bayern Munich will not be allowed away fans at the Emirates when they take on Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Arsenal will face the German side in the last-eight of the Champions League next month but Bayern fans have been banned from attending by Uefa.
It comes after Bayern supporters threw fireworks onto the pitch during their 3-0 win over Lazio in the last-16, which triggered a one-match ban.
Bayern had been fined 40,000 euros and hit with a suspended ban on away supporters after fans set off fireworks during their win at Copenhagen in the group stages in December.
Bayern accepted the punishment and confirmed they would not appeal against Uefa’s decision, describing the ban on away supporters as a “big blow”.
Man City’s route to Champions League final after quarter-final draw
Manchester City face Real Madrid once again in the Champions League as the holders look to defend their title at Wembley in June.
The teams have met in the semi-finals in the last two seasons, with City thrashing Real 4-0 at the Etihad last year on their way to winning their first European Cup in Istanbul.
Pep Guardiola’s side were knocked out by the Spanish side the year before, however, in an all-time classic tie.
This season’s quarter-finals will therefore be the third year in a row in which City have faced Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout stages.
Man City’s route to Champions League final after quarter-final draw
This season’s quarter-finals be the third year in a row in which City have faced Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout stages
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