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    Europa League news: West Ham avoid Barcelona, but draw most successful club in competition’s history

    Seb SternikSeb Sternik25 February 2022
    West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen (left) celebrates scoring the second goal with Declan Rice (right) during the Premier League match at the London Stadium, London. Picture date: Wednesday Januar

    West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen (left) celebrates scoring the second goal with Declan Rice (right) during the Premier League match at the London Stadium, London. Picture date: Wednesday Januar

    West Ham’s first ever appearance in Europa League’s round-of-16 will come against six-time winners, Sevilla.

    David Moyes and his men booked their place in the knockout stages of the competition after winning their group with relative ease. 

    The Irons will now take on Sevilla for a place in the quarter-final, with the first leg scheduled to take place in Spain on March 10.

    Los Nervionenses are currently second in La Liga and trail league leaders Real Madrid by six points.

    Julen Lopetegui's side beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-2 over two legs to book their place in the last 16 stage of the competition.
    Having won the Europa League a record six times - including four titles in the last eight years - the Spaniards are unsurprisingly regarded as one of the outright favourites.

    However, with the West Ham enjoying a strong season themselves, this should make for one of the ties of the round.

    Rangers to face former finalists

    Rangers vs Dortmund, Europa League

    Rangers confirmed their place in the last 16 stage after enjoying one of their greatest ever victories.

    The Scottish champions knocked out Borussia Dortmund after winning their two-legged tie 6-4.

    Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side will now face 1979 finalists Crvena Zvezda with the first leg set to take place at Ibrox on March 10.
    Rangers have bowed out at this same stage of the competition for the last two years, after losing to Bayern Leverkusen in 2020 and Slavia Prague in 2021.
    In fact, the Gers haven't reached a European quarter-final since their 2007/08 UEFA Cup campaign, which saw them go all the way to the final before losing 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg.
    Crvena Zvezda are European regulars and will arrive at Ibrox having lost just three of their 24 games in the Europa League.

    The rest of the field

    Elsewhere, Barcelona have been drawn with the winners of the 2000 edition of the competition, Galatasaray.
    Spartak Moscow - who won't be able to play their home leg in Moscow - will take on RB Leipzig in a match which is likely to attract a lot of attention considering the current political situation.

    Another German side, Eintracht Frankfurt, will face Real Betis, while Bayer Leverkusen are set for a tricky clash with Italian side Atalanta.

    The two Portuguese representatives, FC Porto and SC Braga, will both play their first leg games at home against Lyon and AS Monaco.

    Full Europa League round-of-16 draw

    Rangers vs Crvena Zvezda
    SC Braga vs AS Monaco
    FC Porto vs Lyon
    Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen
    Sevilla vs West Ham
    Barcelona vs Galatasaray
    RB Leipzig vs Spartak Moscow
    Real Betis vs Eintracht Frankufrt

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