Liverpool faced Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals as Jurgen Klopp's side continue their quest to complete the quadruple in the final season under the German manager.
Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, who came back in remarkable fashion to beat Qarabag in the round of 16 with two goals in added time, will face West Ham.
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The draw for the semi-finals means that Liverpool and Leverkusen, the two favorites in the competition, cannot meet until the final, scheduled for May 22 at the Dublin Arena in Ireland.
If the two teams advance in the next two rounds, it would be one of Klopp's last games in charge after more than eight years in charge and would pit him against Alonso, who has been strongly linked with the possibility of taking charge in Anfield after his departure.
“Difficult, Atalanta, we played against them, not that I have seen them 500 times since then, but it is still the same coach, similar structure, so it means uncomfortable to play against them, very well organized,” Klopp said at a conference press on Friday.
“But it's the quarterfinals and I didn't expect that, with all the teams involved, there would be an easy opponent.”
The quarter-finals will also see an all-Italian clash between Christian Pulisic's AC Milan and AS Roma, who beat Slavia Prague and Brighton respectively.
The draw was completed with three-time Europa League finalists Benfica taking on Marseille.
For the semi-finals, the winner of the tie between Liverpool and Atalanta will face Benfica or Marseille, and Milan or Roma will face Leverkusen or West Ham.
The quarterfinals will be played on April 11 and 18 for the first and second legs respectively, with the semifinals scheduled for May 2 and 9.
In the biggest clash of the Europa Conference League, UEFA's third-tier competition, Aston Villa faced Ligue 1 side Lille in the quarter-finals.
Europa League quarterfinal draw:
AC Milan vs AS Roma
Liverpool vs. Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham
Benfica vs. Marseille
Europa League semi-final draw:
Benfica / Marseille vs. Liverpool/Atalanta
AC Milan / AS Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen / West Ham
