Liverpool and West Ham are about to discover their fate when the Europa League quarter-final draw plays out at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon today.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are the slight favourites to win the tournament after thrashing Sparta Prague 11-2 in the last-16 to comfortably book their place in the final eight. West Ham overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to down Freiburg 5-1 on aggregate but Rangers and Brighton failed to join their fellow Brits in the last eight.
Marseille, Roma, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan and Atalanta are the other six teams in the hat. Leverkusen are the runaway leaders in the Bundesliga and will be dangerous opponents for whoever they face. AC Milan are second in Serie A but a long way behind Italy’s champions-elect Inter, with Atalanta in sixth, while Marseille are down in seventh place in France’s Ligue 1 and Benfica narrowly trail table-toppers Sporting in Portugal.
Follow live updates from the Europa League draw below.
Europa League draw
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Europa League quarter-final draw
Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham United
Ooof, that’s a brutal tie for the Hammers.
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 12:12
Europa League quarter-final draw
A tasty Italian derby to kick us off.
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 12:10
Liverpool lead Leverkusen as favourites to win Europa League
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 12:10
Europa League quarter-final draw
Here we go then, the draw is almost upon us. Today’s special draw guest is the handsome face of Fernando Llorente. A dreamboat.
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 12:08
Liverpool lead Leverkusen as favourites to win Europa League
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 12:07
Liverpool lead Leverkusen as favourites to win Europa League
The bookies are in no doubt over who are the favourites to win the Europa League. Liverpool are in the hunt for four trophies, having already won the Carabao Cup, and this competition might just be their most likely source of more silverware.
Leverkusen, though, are on an extraordinary unbeaten streak of 37 games and are almost certain to win the Bundesliga. No one will want to face them in the quarter-finals. It would make some good #narrative if Xabi Alonso was drawn against the club he has been so heavily linked with.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are second favourites to win the trophy
(AP)
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 11:52
How they got here: Kudus scores stunner as five-star West Ham ease through
Hammers boss Moyes uncharacteristically named an attacking line-up in a bid to repair the damage of the 1-0 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 European quarter-final for a third-successive season.
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 11:48
How they got here: Liverpool crush Sparta Prague to progress
Jurgen Klopp’s combination of youth and experience was too much for the visitors as Liverpool completed an 11-2 aggregate win with six more goals at Anfield.
Full story, by Richard Jolly:
Lawrence Ostlere15 March 2024 11:44