The Europa League Quarters draw was done on Friday at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon. Liverpool will play Serie A team Atalanta in the Europa League quarterfinals, while Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen will play West Ham United.
Before the manager departs at the end of the season, Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool team is looking to win another trophy, and they may wind up playing Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, in the championship game. One of the players predicted to succeed Klopp at Anfield is Alonso, a former midfield player for Liverpool.
Liverpool previously played Atalanta in the 2020–21 Champions League group stage; they won 5-0 in Italy but lost 2-0 at home.
In an attempt to capture the trophy for the first time, AC Milan will play last
Milan are second in Serie A, 16 points behind Inter Milan, while Roma are down in fifth, but they are a rejuvenated side since Daniele De Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho, with six wins in eight league games.
Benfica were drawn against French side Olympique de Marseille, and both clubs have reached the final of the competition three times. The winners of that quarter-final will face either Liverpool or Atalanta in the semis.
The other semi-final will see an Italian side, Milan or Roma, come up against Bayer Leverkusen or West Ham.
West Ham won last season’s Conference League and reached the semi-final of the Europa League in 2022, but they face a tough task against Leverkusen. The German side are unbeaten across 37 games in all competitions this season.
Leverkusen, 10 points clear in the Bundesliga, kept their unbeaten run going and scraped through to the quarter-finals on Thursday when they came from 2-0 down to beat Qarabag 3-2, ensuring a 5-4 aggregate win.
The Europa League final will be held on May 22 at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
In the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa will face Lille, currently fourth in Ligue 1, in the quarter-finals. The winner of that tie will meet the victor between Olympiacos and Fenerbahce in the semi-final.
Last year’s finalists Fiorentina take on Czech side Viktoria Plzen while Club Brugge play PAOK of Greece in the other quarter-final.
QUARTER-FINALS
Quarter final 1: AC Milan v AS Roma
Quarter final 2: Liverpool v Atalanta
Quarter final 3: Bayer Leverkusen v West Ham United
Quarter final 4: Benfica v Olympique de Marseille
* Team drawn first hosts the first leg
* First legs: April 11
* Second legs: April 18
SEMI-FINAL DRAW
Semi-final 1: Benfica/Marseille v Liverpool/Atalanta
Semi-final 2: AC Milan/Roma v Bayer Leverkusen/West Ham
* Team drawn first hosts the first leg
* First legs: May 2
* Second legs: May 9
FINAL
Aviva Stadium, Dublin: May 22
