Winners and Losers from Europa League Quarter-Final Draw

The draw for the quarter-finals of the Europa League was made in Nyon on Friday, with a number of intriguing ties pulled out of the proverbial hat.

Holders Sevilla face a difficult contest against Andre Villas-Boas' Zenit Saint Petersburg, while perhaps the tie of the round sees two of the favourites for the tournament, Wolfsburg and Napoli, paired together. Below is the draw in full.

Europa League Quarter-Final Draw

Sevilla vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg
Club Brugge vs. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Fiorentina
Wolfsburg vs. Napoli

Let's take a look at some of the winners and losers.

Winners: Club Brugge

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After coming through a tie against Besiktas, with the second leg being held in the cauldron of Istanbul, then what exactly is there left for this Club Brugge side to fear? They may have to go to Ukraine for the second leg of this tie, but after winning 3-1 at the Ataturk Stadium in the last 16, they should be well-prepared for even the most intimidating of away grounds.

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk are a good side with some great players—Yevhen Konoplyanka showed his class in the last round—but they are perhaps the least threatening team left in the competition. For neutrals, it might be a slight disappointment that two of the weaker teams have been paired together, particularly when that means two of the stronger ones will also lock horns. However, for the clubs themselves, that simply improves their chances of continuing their slightly unlikely continental runs.

This draw gives both sides a great opportunity to reach the semi-finals, but Brugge, in particular, will fancy their chances.

Losers: Wolfsburg and Napoli

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Having confidently moved into this stage of the competition, Wolfsburg and Napoli had both marked themselves down as contenders to triumph in the final in Warsaw at the end of the season. In that light, the fact the two teams have been drawn together will have been a disappointment to both.

Both sides, and both managers, will have fancied meeting each other in Poland. As it is, one of them will be out before the semi-final stage.

Wolfsburg might be the marginally less concerned, having beaten another Italian side, Inter Milan, in the previous round. But Napoli are a significant step up in quality on the current iteration of the Nerazzurri, and their manager, Rafa Benitez, is a renowned cup specialist.

As Klaus Allofs, the Wolfsburg sporting director, told UEFA:

"

I don't know if we are favourites. The challenge is getting tougher for us, because Napoli should be rated stronger than Inter. Napoli have a great striker in Gonzalo Higuaín and an experienced coach in Rafael Benitez.

Furthermore, we must expect a very intense atmosphere at Napoli. But we have enough quality to get through to the next round. We are among the best eight teams in this competition and if you look at the sides we have eliminated, then we certainly don't feel like we have no chance to win this title.

"

In many ways, Wolfsburg have looked the real deal all season—perhaps being just one world-class striker short of becoming genuine challengers to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. They would have fancied their chances of wiping the floor with almost all of the other teams left in the draw, but Napoli will present a stiff test.

Winners: Fiorentina

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Fiorentina's match with Dynamo Kyiv is a tough one to call, but the Italians have one distinct edge: The second leg is at their place.

Dynamo showed what quality they have in their tie against Everton, particularly in attack, but by the same token, they also got more than a little lucky—shots seeming to fly in from all angles in the second leg, whereas Everton's tended to hit the woodwork, which was ultimately the difference. As the second leg progressed, they seemed to be carried to victory by the support of their home fans. This time around, it is Fiorentina who will enjoy that particularly advantage.

If they can keep things close in the Ukrainian capital, Fiorentina will return to Italy with every chance of reaching the last four. They have already beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Roma to get to this stage, so they should have no reason to fear Sergei Rebrov's men.

Losers: Zenit Saint Petersburg

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Unlike Dynamo, Zenit Saint Petersburg have the benefit of home advantage in the second leg. It is undoubtedly an advantage—there is a reason group-stage winners receive that reward in the first knockout round of both UEFA competitions—but the Russians would surely have preferred to avoid Sevilla, the competition's holders, if at all possible.

The Spanish side seem to have found a brilliant rhythm in the competition, winning it last season and progressing through the rounds with impressive conviction this time around. At this point, they have been there and seen everything, and even the long trip to Russia will not cause them much undue concern.

As manager Andre Villas-Boas told UEFA:

"

The defending champions are probably the hardest draw we could get. Sevilla have quality, experience and recent successes in this tournament. All this makes our task even more difficult.

However, we will play the second leg at home. We will need our fans' support and I am sure they will do their utmost to help us to get through. We are ready for these games. We have an aim and a dream, and will give our best to continue the fight for the trophy.

"

Opposing boss Unai Emery will know the task facing his side is a significant one and that few teams ever defend a trophy (let alone a European one). But the incentive for Sevilla is huge: With either Wolfsburg or Napoli certain to go out of the competition, they know the field will have been thinned out further if they can make the last four.

For Zenit, they can ensure another top contender goes out if they win. That will be a difficult task, and they would surely have preferred to get Club Brugge (indeed, there is an argument that UEFA's decision to separate them from Ukrainian sides made their potential draw more likely to be tough). But it will be another significant step for the team if they can negotiate it.