Europa League Draw 2016: Quarter-Final Fixture Schedule and Dates Released

Liverpool drew Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League on Friday, ensuring Reds manager Jurgen Klopp will face his former side.

Holders Sevilla will take on Athletic Bilbao in an intriguing all-Spanish encounter.

Shakhtar Donetsk meet Portuguese side Braga, and Villarreal and Sparta Prague complete the draw.

Here is the full draw:

Braga	vs.	Shakhtar Donetsk
Villarreal	vs.	Sparta Prague
Athletic Bilbao	vs.	Sevilla
Borussia Dortmund	vs.	Liverpool

The quarter-final first-leg fixtures will commence on Thursday, April 7, and the return legs will take place the following week on April 14.

Spain Dominates the Draw

Like in the UEFA Champions League, Spain has the most representatives in the final eight, with three sides making it through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The other five—from Germany, England, Portugal, Ukraine and the Czech Republic—are each their country's sole participants left in the tournament.

After Lazio's exit in the last round, Liverpool have the opportunity to help England open up some much-needed breathing room over Italy in UEFA's coefficient rankings—the rankings that determine how many European places each country receives.

ALAIN GROSCLAUDE/Getty Images

After drawing Klopp's former team, the Reds' chances of reaching the final four have taken a serious blow, though.

Dortmund have romped through the competition right from the start of the qualifying rounds last summer, scoring 35 goals in their 14 matches for the campaign.

BVB have one of the in-form strikers in European football leading their line in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and an array of talent behind him, such as Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, so expect them to produce a thrilling encounter with the Reds.

Bleacher Report UK summarised the reaction on social media:

BVB's Ilkay Gundogan welcomed the draw, though, as the Guardian's Andy Hunter revealed Klopp may be less thrilled by the prospect of facing them now rather than in the final in Basel:

Goal UK's Melissa Reddy believes it was destiny the two should meet:

According to OptaJoe, the Reds have enjoyed a strong run of form against German sides in recent years:

Football journalist Rafael Hernandez believes Dortmund are strong enough to cause problems even for the Champions League's elite sides and so anticipates they will triumph over Liverpool:

"

BVB is at such level they could’ve been challenging any club for the UCL, Liverpool lacks a midfield and defense to challenge them.

— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) March 18, 2016"

Indeed, head coach Thomas Tuchel has had the Bundesliga club firing on all cylinders this season after replacing Klopp last summer, so Liverpool will need to be at their best in both legs to go through.

Sevilla have been a dominant force in the Europa League in recent years, lifting the trophy on the last two occasions. Unai Emery's side will be hoping to become the first team to win it in three successive seasons in any format, but Athletic should provide a real test of their mettle.

They overcame Valencia in controversial circumstances in the round of 16 thanks to an away goal that should have been disallowed for a handball in the build-up, but they're a strong side with the ability to cause anyone problems thanks to Aritz Aduriz's red-hot form.

The Guardian's Sid Lowe believes Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde would have preferred a more favourable draw, though:

Villarreal eased through the round of 16 at Bayer Leverkusen's expense and sit fourth in La Liga, so they will likely progress to the semi-finals against Sparta, with Lowe highlighting the Yellow Submarine as a potential winner of the competition:

Meanwhile, Champions League outcasts Shakhtar should also expect to reach the next round after drawing Braga.