Liverpool booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals after seeing off Sparta Prague on Thursday night
Liverpool have found out who they could face in the Europa League quarter-finals after their list of possible opponents was confirmed on Thursday night.
The Reds ran out 11-2 aggregate winners over Sparta Prague, having followed up a 5-1 win in Czechia with a 6-1 victory at Anfield to secure progression from the round-of-16.
With the draw for the Europa League quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final all taking place on Friday from 12pm GMT, Jurgen Klopp’s side will soon find out who they will have to overcome if they are to win the trophy for a fourth time in Dublin on Wednesday 22 May.
From the quarter-finals onwards, it is an open draw with no seedings, and teams from the same association can be drawn against each other. As a result, Liverpool can be drawn against any of the teams left in the competition, with a potential all-English tie against West Ham United possible as a result.
The quarter-final first legs take place on Thursday 11 April with the second legs then scheduled for Thursday 18 April. Meanwhile the semi-final first legs are then set for Thursday 2 May before the second legs a week later on Thursday 9 May.
And after the round-of-16 came to an end on Thursday night, Klopp’s men now know the seven sides that they could face in the final stages of the Europa League.
Benfica, AC Milan, Marseille, and West Ham United became the first sides to book their places in the quarter-finals in Thursday’s early-evening kick-offs, before Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, and AS Roma joined Liverpool in also progressing to the final eight.
It means the Reds could face a reunion with former midfielder Xabi Alonso. His Bayer Leverkusen side required two stoppage-time goals to prevent a shock round-of-16 exit at the hands of Azerbaijani side Qarabag.
The Spaniard has masterminded a miraculous transformation of the Bundesliga outfit and is considered one of the favourites to become the next Liverpool manager when Jurgen Klopp steps down at the end of the season.
Liverpool’s possible Europa League quarter-final opponents
Benfica
AC Milan
Marseille
West Ham United
Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen
AS Roma
