West Ham take on Lyon, Barcelona travel to Germany. How did the Europa League draw go and what could the semi-final pairings look like?

On Friday afternoon the quarter-final pairings of the Europa League were drawn. Considering the size of the clubs remaining in the competition, few would have guessed that this is only the second most prestigious club competition. How did the draw turn out?

The Europa League is incredibly crowded this season. Teams like Barcelona, Olympique Lyon, RB Leipzig and West Ham have all reached the quarter-finals. And now it’s clear who will play who for a place in the top four.

RB Leipzig and Atalanta are the first two teams drawn for the quarter-finals. The Italian side knocked out Bayer Leverkusen in the previous round and will now try to beat the next German team in the standings.

Stormy Eintracht Frankfurt fans can look forward to a very attractive double-header, as their favourites will face the famous Barcelona.

An interesting, yet playable draw may warm the hearts of West Ham fans. The team featuring Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Alex Kral will take on Lyon in the quarter-final double-header.

The last and least resounding quarter-final pairing is Braga and Rangers

The first quarter-final matches will be played on Thursday 7 April, with the rematches scheduled just a week later.

The winner of Leipzig vs Atalanta will then face the winner of Braga vs Rangers in the semi-finals. West Ham will play Barcelona or Frankfurt in the final if they advance.

The semi-final matches will be played on 28 April and 5 May. The final, which will be hosted by the sanctuary of the Rámon Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, home of Sevilla, who were knocked out by West Ham on Thursday, will take place on Wednesday 18 May.

Source: UEFA