FOOTBALL Sports News West Ham

Europa League draw: West Ham face Lyon, Barcelona travel to Frankfurt and Rangers visit Braga

West Ham are in their first European quarter-final since 1981 and are set to take on Lyon in the next stage of the competition. The Hammers got past Sevilla in their Round of 16 meeting thanks to a late goal from Andriy Yarmolenko.

They became the first English club to knock out Europa League giants Sevilla and remain the only English side left in the competition. With both sides still seeking to win the trophy for the first time, it does promise to be an exciting one.

Meanwhile, Barcelona will face Frankfurt following their win against Galatasaray 2-1 on aggregate. Frankfurt, the only remaining team to have won the competition all the way back in 1980, are unbeaten in their last eight meetings against Spanish clubs.

The Catalan based club dropped down to the Europa League after failing to get out of the Champions League group stages under former manager Ronald Koeman. However, they seem to have found their classic ‘tiki-taka’ style under new manager and former player Xavi.

At the same time, Rangers will face Portuguese side Braga despite their loss against Crvena Zvezda, winning 4-2 on aggregate. The Scottish side will look to get into a rare European semi-final, especially after agonising very close to the semis last year under Steven Gerrard.

To round out the draw, RB Leipzig take on Atalanta which in a mouth watering fixture. Both legs promise to bring a lot of intensity and entertainment, with both sides well known for their attacking and high-octane football across Europe.

Depending on how the ties fall, we could well end up with a West Ham vs Barcelona semi-final or even a West Ham vs Rangers final.

Leicester City will host PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their quarter-final tie and Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma will be hungry for revenge against FK Bodø/Glimt, who beat them 6-1 in the group stage.

To stay up-to date with the latest from the Europa League, more sporting news across Gloucestershire, and the latest from Cheltenham Festival, make sure you stay tuned into the ParkLifeSports Live Blog!

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