UEFA Europa League Fact Sheet: Hannover 96, Metalist Kharkiv and Other Underdogs

The UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals kick off on Thursday, with some interesting ties including Athletic Bilbao facing German side Schalke after toppling Manchester United, and Sporting CP taking on Metalist Kharkiv after overcoming Manchester City.

Many fans and teams, at least the English clubs, look down upon the Europa League as unimportant because it is a cheap replica of the Champions League. The last four winners of the competition are FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit St. Petersburg.

All good teams, but still distinctly second tier.

Unlike the Champions League, however, the football played in the the knockout rounds of the Europa League are often exciting encounters where teams look to play a bit.

There is also another possibility of another all Iberian semifinal with three Spanish teams and a Portuguese club. Bilbao, Atletico, Valenica and Sporting are favorites to go through, but should not expect an easy go of it.

Here is a look at the other four teams remaining in the Europa League this season.   

Schalke 04: Germany's Other European Hope

Most will remember for Schalke 04 as the club that gave up Dejan Stankovic's outlandishly good volley in the Champions League quarterfinals last season, but the German side would proceed to play the Italian giants off the pitch.

The tie against Athletic Bilbao is the best of the round. Schalke has cruised to this stage without being tested. Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is the competition's top scorer with nine goals, but most of those have come against weaker opposition.  

However, Huub Steven's group is third in the Bundesliga and are on a good run of form. Bilbao may be the "it" team after the upset of Manchester United, but Schalke have the European experience to overcome the Basque upstarts.

Hannover 96 Looking to Slow Down Atletico Madrid

Hannover 96 will make things difficult for new Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simone. Die Roten overcame Seville in the playoffs to qualify for the group stage, and overcame Belgium powers Club Brugge and Standard Liege on their way to the quarterfinals.

Former Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf joined the club in January and has scored four goals in six appearances since his move. One-time Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz also plays for the club.

The team is captained by USA international Steve Cherundolo. He and the rest of the back will have to find a way to stop Atletico striker Falcao, who was sensational scoring a brace against Lazio in the Round of 16.

If Hannover manage to contain Falcao, they have a good chance to to progress. 

AZ Alkmaar's European Adventure Continues

AZ Alkmaar are currently sitting on top of the Dutch Eredivisie one point ahead of Ajax. The club snuck past Udinese in the previous round and are facing a Valencia squad in a mini-crisis.

Jozy Altidore has scored 10 goals in 27 games since joining AZ at the start of the season and will spearhead the attack. Aston Villa fans will be hoping to catch a glimpse of Brett Holman after the Australian agreed to join the club in the summer.

Valencia are going through a rocky patch of form domestically. They sit in third place but manager Unai Emery looks to be on his way out sooner rather than later, as the club struggle to close the gap on Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Los Che knocked out PSV Eindhoven in the Round of 16, but AZ certainly have a shot of progressing, considering Valencia's troubles of late.  

Metalist Kharkiv: The Darkhorse

The most surprising team in the quarterfinals in Ukrainian club Metalist Kharkiv. Led by former Bayern Munich midfielder Jose Sosa, Metalist face Sporting CP for a spot in the semifinals.

This the farthest the Ukrainian club have progressed in Europe, but after shocking Greek giants Olympiakos on away goals, another upset is a possibility.  

Teams find traveling to Eastern Europe a difficult proposition, and if Metalist can keep the tie close in Lisbon, then anything is possible. 

However, after knocking off holders Porto and Manchester City, Sporting are favorites to reach the finals and should advance comfortably to the semifinals.