Europa League: Liverpool to face Sparta Prague, Brighton play Roma
Liverpool is set to face Sparta Prague in the Europa League’s round of 16, while Roma awaits Brighton in their upcoming match.
West Ham has been matched up with Freiburg, and Rangers, the leaders of the Scottish Premiership, are set to confront Benfica.
In the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa, the sole remaining British team in the competition, faces the challenge of overcoming former European champions Ajax.
The initial matches of these fixtures are scheduled for March 7th, with the return legs to follow a week later on March 14th.
The Europa League knockout round playoffs, where the second-place finishers from the Europa League group stages squared off against the third-place finishers from the Champions League group stages, concluded on Thursday.
The eight group victors, who were seeded in Friday’s draw, progressed directly to the round of 16 and will each host the second legs.
This setup also applies to the Europa Conference League, where Aston Villa, alongside Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham, and Rangers, will enjoy the advantage of playing the second leg at home next month.
Europa League last-16 draw
Sparta Prague v Liverpool
Marseille v Villarreal
Roma v Brighton
Benfica v Rangers
Freiburg v West Ham
Sporting Lisbon v Atalanta
AC Milan v Slavia Prague
Qarabag v Bayer Leverkusen
The Reds, who have clinched the title three times and were runners-up in 2016, remain in contention for four trophies this season and are poised to face Chelsea in the League Cup final this Sunday.
Liverpool emerged victorious in their solitary prior encounter with Sparta Prague during the 2010-11 Europa League round of 32, advancing 1-0 on aggregate following Dirk Kuyt’s late goal in the second leg.
West Ham, who also secured qualification in the penultimate round of group fixtures, claimed the Europa Conference League championship last season after reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2022.
They have already secured two victories against German club Freiburg in this season’s competition, triumphing 2-0 at home and 2-1 away in matches against their Group A adversaries.
Brighton, experiencing European football for the first time in the club’s history, defeated Marseille in their final group match to progress as group winners.
Roberto de Zerbi’s squad is slated to face last season’s runners-up Roma, presently sixth in Serie A, who advanced past Feyenoord in a penalty shootout on Thursday.
Aston Villa, making their return to European competition for the first time since the 2010-11 season, advanced in the Europa Conference League as group winners with 13 points from six games.
Europa Conference League last-16 draw
Servette v Viktoria Plzen
Ajax v Aston Villa
Molde v Club Brugge
Union SG v Fenerbahce
Dinamo Zagreb v PAOK
Sturm Graz v Lille
Maccabi Haifa v Fiorentina
Olympiacos v Maccabi Tel-Aviv