Muristek
FC Barcelona's Ferran Torres (left) and Pedri during training at Cam Nou, Barcelona January 3, 2022. — Reuters pic
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PARIS, March 18 — Barcelona were drawn to play Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals of this season’s Europa League today, while West Ham United will take on Lyon.
Appearing in Europe’s second-tier club competition for the first time since 2004 following their exit from the Champions League in the group stage, Barcelona qualified for the quarter-finals by beating Galatasaray of Turkey 2-1 on aggregate.
Xavi Hernandez’s side are unbeaten in their last 11 games and are third in La Liga going into Sunday’s Clasico away to Real Madrid.
Eintracht beat Real Betis in extra time on Thursday to go through and will be at home in the first leg on April 7, with the return at the Camp Nou on April 14.
Frankfurt won the UEFA Cup, the Europa League’s predecessor, in 1980. They reached the semi-finals in 2019 before losing to eventual winners Chelsea.
West Ham beat record six-time winners Sevilla, hosts of this season’s final, in the last 16 and will be at home to experienced European campaigners Lyon before going to France for the return.
Sixth in the Premier League, West Ham are through to their first European quarter-final since 1981.
If they win it, they will face either Barcelona or Eintracht in the semi-finals, the first legs of which are set for April 28.
West Ham beat the German side in the semi-finals of the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976 before losing the final to Anderlecht.
Meanwhile, Rangers’ reward for beating Red Star Belgrade in the last 16 is a tie against Portuguese club Braga, on paper the best tie they could have hoped for.
The Scottish giants beat the same opponents in the last 32 two years ago. The first leg will be played in northern Portugal.
The winner of that tie will progress to a semi-final against either Atalanta or RB Leipzig, who received a bye in the last 16 after would-be rivals Spartak Moscow were banned from Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The final will be played at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville on May 18. — AFP