Fixtures Set for Europa League Round of 16: Benfica, Marseille Dazzle

After an entertaining second-leg of Europa League fixtures, the stage has been set for the final 16.

The next round of fixtures will be:

Hamburg vs. Anderlecht  

Rubin Kazan vs. Wolfsburg

Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting Lisbon

Benfica vs. Marseille

Panathinaikos vs. Standard Liege

Lille vs. Liverpool

Juventus vs. Fulham

Valencia vs. Werder Bremen

Perhaps, the two biggest surprises of the evening were the untimely eliminations of Everton and last year's champions Shakhtar Donetsk at the hands of Sporting Lisbon and Fulham, respectively.

Sporting were able to turn around a 2-1 reverse at Goodison Park to come away the 3-0 victors at home, while Fulham held on for a 1-1 away draw that saw them go through 3-2 on aggregate.

There were no other real shockers on the night, with Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Hamburg, and Lille scraping into the round of 16, joined by an impressive Panathinaikos, free-scoring German sides Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen, and the overwhelming Belgian heavyweights Anderlecht.

The most mouthwatering pairing for the games to be played on March 11 and 18th seems to be that of Portuguese giants Benfica and French challengers Marseille.

Both sides went through easily, defeating struggling Hertha Berlin (5-1 aggregate) and Danish superstars F.C. Copenhagen (6-2 aggregate). Considering that Benfica and Marseille have been playing arguably some of the finest football in the tournament, this should make a for a good showing at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, where the two high-scoring teams will first meet.

So, how do you feel about next round's fixtures? Who will advance? Who will suprise? Who will fall?