PARIS (AFP) - Arsenal will take on Napoli in the pick of the ties in the quarter-finals of this season's Europa League following Friday's (March 15) draw, as Chelsea were paired with outsiders Slavia Prague.
Unai Emery's team will host Napoli at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg on April 11, with the return in Italy a week later.
It is a tough draw for the Gunners, with Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli currently second in Serie A - they were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage despite beating Liverpool at home and drawing twice with Paris Saint-Germain.
The winners of that tie will go on to a semi-final against the winners of an all-Spanish quarter-final between local rivals Valencia and Villarreal.
Both LaLiga sides defeated Russian opposition in the last 16, with Valencia edging out Krasnodar and Villarreal, who are struggling domestically, knocking out Zenit St Petersburg.
Before winning the Europa League three years running with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, Emery really came to prominence during three years in charge of Valencia. He led them to three consecutive third-place finishes in La Liga between 2010 and 2012.
Emery and Ancelotti are both former Paris St Germain coaches, but the latter may have wished for a match-up with another of his old sides, Chelsea.
Instead, the west London club will face Slavia, heading to the capital of the Czech Republic for the first leg on April 11.
Chelsea, winners of the Europa League in 2013, will fancy their chances of advancing, although they would be wise to beware a Slavia side who are top of the Czech league and knocked out Sevilla in the last 16.
The winners of that tie will go through to a semi-final against either Benfica or dark horses Eintracht Frankfurt.
Benfica, who dropped out of this season's Champions League at the group stage, lost to Chelsea in the 2013 Europa League final and were then beaten by Sevilla on penalties in the final a year later.
Eintracht are a dangerous prospect, and the only German survivor in any European competition this season. The 1980 Uefa Cup winners, and runners-up in the European Cup in 1960, won the German Cup last season and are fresh from eliminating Inter Milan in the last 16.
This year's Europa League final will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 29.
The winners will secure passage to next season's Champions League group stage.
Quarter-final draw
Arsenal v Napoli
Villarreal v Valencia
Benfica v Eintracht Frankfurt
Slavia Prague v Chelsea
The first legs will be played on April 11, and the return legs on April 18.
History made as women to referee men's AFC Cup team will take charge of a men's continental club cup clash. Cup match between Myanmar's Yangon United and Cambodia's Naga World at the
History made as women to referee men's AFC Cup clash | Free
Football news - Wolves beat Bournemouth in their best top
Home United got a huge boost in their S.League title hopes after downing 10-man Albirex Niigata (S) 2-0 in a televised game at Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday night. It meant a first league defeat
Shahfiq stunner ends Albirex Niigata's 38-game winning streak
LONDON (REUTERS) - Chelsea put their tumultuous League Cup final defeat behind them to revive their top-four hopes with a 2-0 victory over stuttering Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on
Arrizabalaga dropped as Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-0 - Reuters
Play at 'world-class' level, Poch tells Spurs. Christian Eriksen (carrying Dele Alli) and Son Heung-min scored the goals in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Poch Tells Tottenham To Purchase Players - Sky News
Arsenal back to winning ways with 2-1 victory at Huddersfield Alex Iwobi deflected strike gave Arsenal 16th-minute lead Alexandre Lacazette's 10th league goal of season made it two Late own goal from Sead Kolasinac was consolation for hosts Arsenal still without away Premier League clean sheet all season Huddersfield bottom, 13 points from safety; Arsenal stayed sixth Arsenal host
Soccer: Iwobi, Lacazette lead Arsenal to win at Huddersfield
The ABC TV comedy series, The Chaser's War on Everything, has sparked controversy yet again - this time by mocking terminally-ill children. During the show, the comedy troupe poked fun at child
Amazon courts controversy again, sells toilet seat covers
Relatives raise funds to continue search for missing footballer Emiliano Sala Tributes left outside Cardiff City Stadium for Emiliano Sala, whose plane disappeared from the radar over the English
Emiliano Sala: missing pilot's family raise funds for search
Defending champions Australia made their worst ever start to an Asian Cup on Sunday when they lost 1-0 to Jordan in front of a partisan crowd in Al Ain. Graham Arnold's youthful side had expected
Aussie horror show as Jordan stun Asian Cup champions
There is growing confidence at Chelsea that Callum Hudson-Odoi will sign a new contract over the summer, reports claim. The 18-year-old looked set to join Bayern Munich in January after submitting
Reports: Chelsea teen Hudson-Odoi appears close to Bayern
Jurgen Klopp says his Liverpool team could not have done anything more after they finished just behind defending champions Manchester City. Klopp: Liverpool 'did all we could' in Premier League
Liverpool news: Jurgen Klopp says Reds could not have done
0 comments:
Post a Comment