UEFA Europa League Last-16 Draw: Winners and Losers from Nyon Event
The UEFA Europa League last-16 draw has been made, and it's thrown up a fantastic array of games to sink our teeth into.
A Gianni Infantino-less procedure produced some incredibly exciting ties, with Liverpool vs. Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund vs. Tottenham Hotspur the headline events.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the draw.
Winner: The Viewers
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First things first: What an excellent draw this is. There's something for everyone, and the enticing nature of many of the games could leave fans torn—torn—when it comes to choosing which games to watch.
There's a bitter rivalry in the form of Liverpool vs. Manchester United; there's an all-Spanish affair in Athletic Bilbao vs. Valencia; there's one for the hipsters, as Shakhtar Donetsk will tackle Anderlecht; and the quality set to be on show in Tottenham Hotspur vs. Borussia Dortmund arguably trumps the lot.
There are six exciting, attention-grabbing games out of the eight drawn. Did Thursday nights just get fun again?
Loser: FC Basel
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The Europa League final will be played at St. Jakob-Park on May 18, 2016. That's the home of FC Basel, who will have high hopes of contesting the showpiece on home turf, but they were dealt a major blow in that quest on Friday afternoon.
They were drawn Sevilla—a team not only far superior on paper and near-unbeatable on their own patch, but also the modern masters of the Europa League.
Los Rojiblancos are the reigning champions and have won it in two successive seasons. Manager Unai Emery is an expert at preparing for European tussles, and his tactical setup lends itself to continental success.
Roger Federer's chances of seeing his beloved Basel play a European final at home just got swept at the knee.
Winner: Fenerbahce
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Fenerbahce's reward for seeing off Lokomotiv Moscow in the round of 32 is a tie vs. Braga—Portugal's fourth-strongest outfit, and one who will be deemed eminently beatable.
That's not just because, on paper, the Turkish outfit are superior, but also because they boast three Portuguese players (Nani, Bruno Alves and Raul Meireles), one who spent a chunk of time playing in the Primeira Liga (Lazar Markovic) and a Portuguese coach in Vitor Pereira.
If any side should have the lowdown on their last-16 opponents, it's Fenerbahce.
Loser: Tottenham Hotspur
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Some Tottenham Hotspur fans will relish the chance to take on Borussia Dortmund—it's an opportunity to see just how good this Lilywhites team are, after all—but, in reality, drawing arguably the best side in the competition lays out an extremely tough path for progression.
The way in which BVB made light work of FC Porto—a seasoned, veteran presence in European competition and UEFA Champions League-calibre opponent—is ominous. Thomas Tuchel's men have now put their minds to the Europa League and will stand a truly ferocious opponent.
"One of the favourites will exit..." tweeted ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko. This is, undoubtedly, the blockbuster match.
Loser: Valencia
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Valencia's struggles in La Liga have been well-documented thanks to the increased English interest in the club following Gary Neville's appointment as manager.
It took the former Sky Sports pundit months to procure his first league win—a scrappy one against Espanyol that could have gone either way—and a follow-up victory against Granada was more than a bit fortunate.
Away from the league, though, Los Che have been on fire. They recorded the biggest aggregate victory in the history of the competition by beating Rapid Wien 10-0 in the round of 32, belying their domestic struggles by putting in two scintillating attacking performances.
But drawing Spanish opposition in the last-16 removes that "escapism" effect European games have; Athletic Bilbao know them inside out and will be primed to take advantage.
"Athletic are not the team we wanted at this moment," Valencia striker Alvaro Negredo told UEFA.com after the draw. "We're up against difficult opponents. It's going to be a very tight tie."
