Europa League Draw 2016: Schedule and Dates for Semis and Final Fixtures

Liverpool will face Villarreal in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League following Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland. 

The other last-four clash will see Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk take on defending champions Sevilla.

Here is the confirmed lineup for the semi-finals:

First Leg Home	vs.	Second Leg Home
Shakhtar Donetsk	vs.	Sevilla
Villarreal	vs.	Liverpool

The first legs will take place on April 28 and the second legs a week later on May 5, with the respective winners advancing to May 18's final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland.

Friday's draw also confirmed that the winners of the Liverpool-Villarreal tie will be the designated home side in the final.

Liverpool On the Charge

Liverpool have had to see off some tough opponents already to make it this far in the competition. 

They downed arch-rivals Manchester United in the last 16 before staging a stunning second-leg comeback to knock out tournament favourites Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals on Thursday, per BBC Sport's Dan Roan and Ian Dennis:

Jurgen Klopp's side now have enormous momentum going into the last four and will be confident that they can beat Villarreal over two legs and reach the final.

Sevilla are on track for a third consecutive Europa League triumph, and their experience could prove vital in the inevitable tight moments in the semi-final matches.

They needed penalties to get beyond fellow La Liga side Athletic Bilbao in the last eight but are a very strong unit with the know-how to get to the final.

Indeed they have a fairly formidable record in semi-finals, per UEFA Europa League:

Villarreal proved their credentials again in the last eight with a 6-3 aggregate defeat of Sparta Prague, including a 4-2 victory away from home in the second leg.

The Yellow Submarine have already seen off well-fancied Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen in the competition and are also enjoying an excellent campaign in La Liga—they are currently fourth.

As noted by Spanish football writer Sid Lowe they are a high-quality side who have every chance of going all the way this season in the Europa League:

Of the remaining four sides in the competition, Shakhtar are ranked by many as the outsiders.

However, they thrashed Braga 6-1 in their quarter-final tie—4-0 in Thursday's home leg—and Sevilla will face a tough task in their trip to the Lviv Arena.

None of the remaining sides can be taken for granted and they have all seen off high-quality teams to make it this far.

With a final spot up for grabs all four semi-final legs are likely to be fascinating and tense occasions with the draw having thrown up two intriguing battles.