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.
